Gunslinger
by CigarChomper
Summary: Death claims a young man in our world, but in their world a Gunslinger is born. He will adapt or die nothing more nothing less. T for violence.
1. Prologue

Three things; first the beginning is a little slow so bear with me.

Second, please review anything is helpful. Tell me you love the story, you hate it or you want to strangle me all is accepted!

Third, the beginning is a little dark but the whole story won't be gloom and doom.

Now then onward to the journey!

**The Gunslinger**

Prologue

"Death, like birth, is a secret of nature."

-Marcus Aurelius

In a hospital room on the fourth four laid a young man 19 years of age. He was minutes away from death and he knew it. His body was failing, he could feel his innards rotting away here on the hospital bed. As he finished what would probably be his last book he looked out the window to see the rain pouring. _Really? I couldn't at least get a little sun on my last day?_

The young man thought over his life once more and was not impressed. Growing up on a small ranch had made for a short childhood and some skills handling horses and guns. He had barely gotten through high school being too focused on girls and having a good time. When he wasn't busy with those things he was working construction which wasn't too bad in his mind. Over all though, it seemed like his life had been rather pointless. He hadn't done anything real special, no saving someone's life, no becoming a millionaire, not even having a job where they couldn't replace him in a few days. The fact was in the end he hadn't been anything more than a red shirt and it filled him with regret.

The thoughts of his past slowly turned to present. It all started with feeling like he had the flu and then next thing he knew he was throwing up bloody vomit. The doctors had said that it was literally rot gut. His organs were starting to die off and were deteriorating at an extreme rate and there was next to nothing they could do to even slow it. The pain had wrecked his body and almost shattered his mind. It was always present even in his dreams he felt the sore dull ache that served as a reminder of his ever encroaching demise. With every move he made pain would spike through his muscles and each breath he took felt like someone trying to squeeze his lungs into mush. The most he could do was read books or watch TV. It was a literal hell for him, stuck for three weeks in a bed, unable to move, hardly able to breathe and feeling his body waste away. He prayed for respite in any form even if it meant death.

He held his hand up to his face and cringed as he took in the details. It had once been dark and calloused from the long hours of labor in the sun. Now it was ghost of its former self pail, weak and sensitive. His gaze dropped to his arm and disgust began to fill his soul. Had he the strength to lift his other hand he would have easily been able to fit his fingers around the widest part. He was angry that this disease had taken so much from him. His life, his future, his mobility, his strength and his hope it was all just too much.

His head sank back into the pillows and darkness began to creep into his vision. Death was here to claim him and his final thoughts were _Wish I could have had one last cigar before I went._

And with that James Bowdrie died.

-oOo-

Hell was not of fire and brimstone, it was nothing but blacks and grays. A barren rocky land of silence, twisted husks of trees and a fog so thick you could barely see your hand in front of your face. In this hell is where James found himself curled up with his knees to his chest eyes screwed shut hoping to block out the landscape around him. His first feeling of the afterlife was cold. It was bittersweet, the pain that had wasted his body away was gone but in its place was a deep chilling cold. The hospital gown did very little to keep the cold out. _Guess you can take it with you when you go. _

"Just can't catch a break," he muttered to himself as he got up and took in his surroundings. Shivering he wrapping his arms around himself trying to keep the warmth in. Attempting to walk James realized just how much the disease had taken from him; his legs shook from the strain of getting up after weeks of rotting away on a bed. He fell face first his first attempt but quickly got to his knees and tried again. This time was successful and he began to walk a little unsteady at first but quickly regaining his balance through persevering. The fog began to disperse a little revealing more charred and burnt husks of trees but also the flicker shadows.

James's heart flickered as his sharp eyes picked out the shadows waiting in the fog. They collected just ahead him still cloaked in the fog intent on cutting him off. Turning left James saw yet more figures gathering. Turning again to head back the way he had come he could see that rout had been cut off by the figures that had probably been fallowing him. Trying not to panic James didn't move a muscle and thought. The only idea that came to mind made him cringe. He had to run in the only direction left.

The first few steps were little more than a somewhat fast stumble. The weakened muscles in his legs began to remember the simple action and picked up the pace. The cloaked figures were already on the move attempting to cut him off. One got between him and freedom. It quickly shot out its 'arm' at James. He narrowly dodged under it and kept running he could feel the shadows fallowing him but he dared not to turn and look instead he focused only on running. He was already winded but he wouldn't stop, not till his heart exploded.

The fog suddenly thickened and the ground dropped away and James found himself tumbling down a steep incline covered in sharp rocks. They tore at the hospital gown and the body underneath, drawing blood and curses. The young man hit a large bolder that brought his tumble to a painful end. Clenching his jaw to stop from crying out he crawled behind the bolder to hide. Weakness threatened to overtake and it would be so easy to just close his eyes and fall into slumber, but he didn't give in. Steeling himself James held his breath and waited for what felt like an eternity. Then the Shadow People, as he now thought of them, drifted by heading the same direction as he had been going. Dozens passed by none seemed to notice the young man almost choking behind the bolder. When they all seemed to pass James let out the breath he had been holding.

-oOo-

Shadow, Seer Of More Than Most, watched as its siblings chased after the non-shadow down the hill. It knew they must destroy and consume the soul within the non-shadow or else it would bring more non-shadows and that would destroy its home. Moving down the hill it began to think, something it hadn't done in millennia. The non-shadow had fallen down the hill but Seer Of More Than Most hadn't seen it running away at the bottom. This confused it immensely how could the non-shadow not be where it should? Maybe its siblings had been right to keep going in the direction they had last seen the non-shadow go. Then true to its name, Seer Of More Than Most, spotted the large boulder that blocked its view of what was beyond it. Moving towards and around the boulder it was greeted with the sight of the non-shadow cowering like a cornered beast. It knew it should have summoned the others but that would take precious seconds and the sooner it ended the non-shadow the sooner it could stop thinking. It was not worried nothing could react faster or more precise than a shadow. So it drew its self up ready to rip the soul out from within the non-shadow and consume it. It launched its' shadow scalpel but the non-shadow was quicker! It sprang forward ducking under the attack with a snarl, its hand shot out and gripped at it where its neck should have been. Seer Of More Than Most panicked, the forward momentum of the non-shadow had set its balance off and it fell back and tumbled down the hill. At the end of the tumble the non-shadow came out on top still gripping its' neck still. Fear gripped it as it saw the rather large jagged rock in non-shadows' other hand held above its' head ready to strike. With one last desperate move Seer Of More Than Most shot its shadow blade out hoping to claim the non-shadows soul.

As the rock came crashing down ending Seer Of More Than Most its shadow scalpel brushed against James's soul it witnessed an image of a dark tan snake coiling around two weapons, one was silver, the other was black and both had ivory handles.

-oOo-

The rock plunged into the Shadow person causing it to disperse like smoke caught in a strong wind. James shivered as he suddenly felt what little warmth he had drain from him at the touch of the shadow. Standing quickly he scowled and spat where his attacker had been slain, a little warmth returned at that. He breathed heavily his lungs starved of oxygen. Taking a quick look over his body James noted that his feet were badly cut up, his arms and legs had a few gashes and cuts but nothing too serious, his torso how ever had a deep slice running diagonally down his chest to his hip. Taking the ripped and torn hospital gown off, he rolled it and attempted to cover the deep wound on his chest.

"Not much use for modesty here."

James stood still for awhile just thinking trying to make sense of the world. Slowly a smile crept across his face. They had hunted him but he had flipped the tables. Not only did he get away but he had killed one of his hunters. It was a simple and clear message to him. If I can escape and kill one why can't I kill all of them? And with that in mind, James set forth knowing that he would be more than these shadows prey. He would be their hunter and thrive in this world where his flesh and blood was the only color.

James Bowdrie had always had a mean streak but on the day of his death he had gotten a little meaner.

-oOo-

**A/N well there you have it! Please R&R and tell me what you think.**

**Thought of the day: Survival doesn't show who's wrong and who's right, just who's willing to go the farthest.**


	2. Mother

**A/N Alright this will be where the story really starts, once again please R&R. By the way Warcraft doesn't belong to me.**

**Oh and ever been that guy/girl who enters a room and says good morning and nobody responds? **

Chapter One: Mother

"Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings together but do so with all your heart."

It had been a good run for James Bowdrie but all good things must come to an end. For over two years he had hunted the shadows and survived in the dark land. He had shaped himself into a weapon so that this Hell became his personal play ground. It had been a brutal experience, with enough bloodshed to last a lifetime. The first months had beaten any sense of pain he still had out of him and built his body up again. Though he wasn't as strong as he had been, he had gained and toned a lot of muscle. He had the six-pack abs he had always dreamed about having. The shadows also sharpened his reflexes and honed his instincts. Many times he found himself in positions where speed and precision was the only thing that stood between him and defeat.

The land had also help beat the weakness out of James in its own way. The only water to be found was muddy streams that were inhabited with poison fish. Nasty creatures, black and covered in scales and spines hard enough it may as well have been bone. One bite would cause painful stomach cramps, vomiting and worse, the runs. James didn't know what two bites would cause but he didn't plan on finding out. The only non-poisonous food he could find was mushrooms that grew in a number of caves spread miles apart. Even then he had to be careful it seemed like each cave was guarded by a small group of shadow people. At first it was easy to trick them by standing a few hundred yards away where the fog concealed him and yelling, from there he could simply circle around and raid the cave before they returned. The shadows quickly learned to spread out though. Once they had nearly caught James. In the early months he had to be clever but as time went by and the tricks stopped working he learned to be ruthless. At one cave he killed every shadow person with a stone knife by drawing them away with a shout and silently climbing a tree. As the shadows passed by him he slipped down from his perch and buried the stone knife in the head of any shadow that fell behind or strayed out of site of the others. The shadow of death to the shadows, he had mused afterwords.

But it was all coming to end for the hunter of shadows. Here in a valley James found himself surrounded on all sides by the enemy. They stormed out of the fog in small groups at first but it had escalated into hordes. James fought his very hardest killing many but when they suddenly switched tactics and began to grab at him. He was woefully unprepared for that change in tactics. Unable to escape he was quickly brought to his knees. All around him shadows collected and 'stared' at him as he was held down. He could feel the cold seeping into his body from the dozens of places in which he was held down by the shadows. This was to be his end and James couldn't fight it off any longer. The shadows reached in deeper sucking all warmth out of his mortal flesh. No matter how much he struggled he couldn't break their grasp. Hands began brushing against his soul and it felt like he was being stretched in a thousand directions and a thousand maddening whispers echoed in his head.

The violation went deep and he felt as though his very being was up for display. They were looking at his memories, his hopes and dreams, his very soul was being scrutinized by the masses of shadows. A tortured scream of helplessness filled the air as the pulling intensified. James clung to life desperately hoping against hope for salvation. He shut his eyes in an attempt to block out the pain. His soul and body cried out for release.

It was then that he felt something unexpected but simple. A warm hand touched his cheek and in a moment he could no longer feel the shadows. James shut his eyes even tighter afraid that it was all an illusion that would be shattered if he looked upon what ever was comforting him. Slowly he felt the hand begin to pull him forward and he blindly obeyed. He felt him self lift off the ground causing his curiosity to rise. In a matter of seconds his curiosity won out against his fear and his eyes shot open. He was looking up into the sky blinded by a light that pierced cloud and fog alike. Twisting over he looked down on where he had been and gasped in shock. Staring back at him with cold dead eyes was his body. As he ascended he watched as it was ripped apart by the shadows.

One hell of an out of body experience. He mused to himself as he continued to ascend. He felt the hand beckon him to look towards the light once more. Once again he obeyed without hesitation and gazed upon the light it grew brighter and brighter in till finally it blocked all else and something akin to sleep fell over James. For once in his life he was at peace.

-oOo-

James awoke to a feeling of total numbness. All the pain he had felt was now gone, things that had hurt for so long it had become the norm. Wounds that had cut deep in his final moments were nonexistent, and all the worry he felt for his existence was ebbed away by the place in which he now dwelled. It was then he began to take in his surroundings. He was in a clearing of what must have been a rain forest to one side was an impossibly steep mountain side where water poured down into a small pond. The water looked impossibly clear and called to him. Slowly with effort he got up and crossed the small clearing to the pond and gazed at his reflection. Over the past two years his black hair had grown out quite a bit. He now sported a rough and scruffy beard, his hair had grown to cheek level and was tide back with a small strip of cloth ripped from his deteriorating hospital gown. Scars ran up and down his entire body each one was like a medal to James, showing his victories over the black land and the shadows that hunted him. He had a small measure of pride in the scars, but there were two that he treasured most. The first one ran diagonal from the middle of his chest to his left hip, it was little more than a simple white line but it served as a reminder of his mortality. The second scar was the polar opposite. Only a few inches long it started just above his right eye and ran straight down his cheek though barely noticeable through the beard, it reminded him of the baron and stoney land and his victory over it. Strangely enough it was the only scar on his face.

James eyed his body critically looking for any wounds. He still felt numb which now worried him, it was the wounds that made the body go numb which killed. As if sensing his unease the numbness began to fade away being replaced by comforting warmth. His attention slowly turned back to his body. His muscular form was bruised in many places but no blood could be seen through the mud and grime that had collected on him. Strangely enough, even his feet, raw and cut from running from the shadows across the jagged rocky land weren't bleeding and the skin wasn't torn in many places like it was. A feeling akin to disgust crept over him and he began to scowl. A gesture barely visible through his thick beard.

"If you would like to bath in the water you are more than welcome to child, I believe you've earned a bath," an unmistakably feminine voice said behind him.

Startled he spun around so fast he almost lost his balance. He instantly had his hands up ready to defend himself. He spotted the speaker sitting on a rock and blinked several times as his thoughts struggled to catch up. It was a woman that much was certain, her voice, simple white dress and curves were proof enough with of that. Her skin however was a deep shade of purple, her ears were long and pointed, her hair was almost as purple as her skin and her eyes glowed blue. She smiled warmly at him as a mother who was watching her child play would.

Suddenly a feeling of embarrassment wormed its way into James. She talked about the pond like she owned it. This must be her land than and I'm trespassing, He thought to himself as the embarrassment spread into his cheeks. Dropping his gaze he stood up straight and touched the back of his neck.

"I'm sorry miss, I didn't realize I was trespassing I'll move on if you can just point me in the right direction," He apologized remembering the manners that had been instilled in him at such a young age.

Swiftly she slid off the rock and glided over to James with such grace it took his breath away. He now realized how tall this woman was, he was an impressive 6' 3" and was still a head shorter than her. Before he realized it she embraced him in a tight comforting hug.

"Poor, poor child, life taken from you at such a young age in such a dreadful way. You weren't even given the proper time to grieve in the afterlife. Then being hunted like a rabid dog. Poor, poor child," She whispered softly.

Each word sunk in deep and all the regret he had when he died mixed with the remorse and loneliness that only constant threat of death had kept at bay in till now. Tears fell freely from his eyes and stained the woman's dress as he openly wept. His hand just remained at his sides and he made no attempt to stop the tears. His life flashed before his eyes and slowly but surely he let it all go and began to regain control. This woman reminded him so much of his mother she even gave the same kind of comfort. He waited a few more minutes and let the last tears fall, with each tear he came to terms with what fate had given him.

"Go now child, bath in the pond and do away with your sorrow. You are safe now," she murmured before ending the embrace and taking a step back, "I must go now but I will return shortly."

The woman disappeared before James could even nod his head. Any other time and he would have commented on it but he really only wanted to bath and cleans his body. He removed the tattered remains of the hospital gown, which were little more than a loincloth, and dipped into the pool. He expected the water to be cold but to his surprise it was almost hot. It was pleasant to say the least. He was afraid that the filth on his body would pollute the water but the grime on his body simply fell off where ever the water contacted and sunk strait to the bottom leaving the water untouched.

"Fancy stuff this water, maybe I should ask for a canteen of it," James said to himself, years of working the cattle trails by himself or with few others had created a habit of voicing his thoughts out loud. After awhile he got out of the pool and went to retrieve his loincloth but in its place was a thin blue robe folded up neatly. He shrugged and put it on after lying in the sun to dry off. It was comfortable but he would have rather had a good pair of jeans. After dressing himself he realized how dry his throat was. Crossing over to the water fall he drank the surprisingly cool water. It was wonderfully fresh and lacked even the slightest hint of dirt. After having his fill James went to the edge of the clearing and sat down in the grass. Listening carefully to the sounds of the forest he began to feel overwhelmed. It had been far too long sense there had been this much noise around him. He forced himself to focus on one noise at a time and began to spot the creatures that were responsible. There were many bright colored birds and even monkeys that he spotted glimpses of and after a few more moments he began to pick them out even through the thick vegetation. After spotting the animals themselves he focused on where they had come from looking for any tracks they would leave, he failed miserably at this.

"How are you child?" A familiar voice said behind him.

"I'm doing pretty darn good I'd reckon," James grinned. He stood and faced the now familiar woman sticking his hand out for her to shake. "My name's James Bowdrie thank you for all your hospitality, miss?"

The woman looked very amused and even pleased before shaking his hand "I've been called many things but most refer to me as Elune."

"Pretty name, fits you. If you don't mind me saying so miss," James complimented.

"I most certainly don't mind, so tell me what were you trying to do?" Elune asked warmly.

"Well honestly trying to adapt, I was trying to track the animals and learn what I can about them. Figured I might need to move around in this thick vegetation and the animals probably know the best way, considering they live here. My father taught me to do it when we had to push cattle across a lot of land," James explained as he focused on the forest once again. for some reason he felt compelled to tell Elune everything. She walked up beside him.

'He is a clever man,' Elune thought to herself. They stood in silence staring at the forest together for awhile more.

"So are you God?" the young man suddenly asked.

"I am a god," she responded.

"Kinda throws all the religions back home to the wind."

Elune chuckled a little at the simplicity of the statement. "I'm a goddess of this realm, not the one where you lived in before your life was taken for the first time. So it's entirely possible they were right."

"So I've died twice?"

"Yes."

"Neat."

"Neat?"

"How many people do you know who have died twice?"

"Personally, not many. But I have seen many die twice."

"Damn, thought it was unique or something."

For awhile they stood in silence in till Elune began to point out the trails and what to look for. James quickly caught on, though he suspected being taught by a goddess probably sped things up.

"You are handling your demise and meeting with a goddess quite well James. I'm impressed."

"I'm just glad you aren't a flying tentacle monster."

"Hmm, me too."

-oOo-

The two of them had continued to enjoy the silence for awhile till Elune procured a basket of fruit which they ate in silence by the pond. James stared at his reflection while he ate lost in thought.

"James you know you won't be able to stay here," Elune suddenly said with a hint of hesitation.

"Figured as much, had a feeling I didn't belong here," James commented feeling slightly disappointed.

"James do not worry I will not send you back to where that dreadful land I pulled you from but I am unable to send you back to your home. I will send you to the land which I helped create long ago, Azeroth. The land is in the midst of the second Shundering and it will be dangerous. The world is at war with its self. There are many who wish to spill your blood just for being human," Elune explained.

"Alright, sounds like it could be a lot of fun," James stated after awhile of thought.

One of Elune's eyebrows began to rise. "I tell you that you may be killed and you say it could be fun?"

"Well I'm all for a good challenge plus I've spent a little while in a place where the land as well as its inhabitants wanted me dead so if it's only a portion of Azeroths population that wants to gut me like a fish, that's an improvement."

"Fair enough James. If you would like I can bestow on you my blessing? It may help you in unexpected ways. I will also have armor forged for you-," Elune began.

"Elune, thank you but your blessing and some simple clothes will be more than enough. Really I would rather start over with very little plus I don't know the first thing about armor, of any kind," James stated. He felt strongly about this.

This time both of Elune's eyebrows rose. "Not every day does a mortal turn down armor crafted by a god."

"I mean no disrespect, I just wish to do this on my own, if I were to just except a gift like that from you I wouldn't have understood its value," He explained.

Elune thought for awhile before she spoke. "Then I know a different gift, one that will teach you a thing or two." With that she gestured to a small patch of ground where the grass suddenly pulled back and roots started to push up out of ground. On top of the root pedestal was a metal lock box a little longer and wider than his forearm. Over the lock was a crescent moon inlaid in some sort of white metal.

"You know that whole root thing was kinda creepy Elune. Just saying," James quipped.

"Take the lock box and search for the key. It'll have the same crescent moon on the handle. Take your clothes and a water skin too," Elune stated rolling her eyes and procuring a red button up cotton shirt, a pair of blue denim jeans, black leather boots, wool socks and underwear in the same fashion as the lock box. Handing him a water skin she motioned to the waterfall. "Drink deeply and fill the water skin. Then return to me."

James obeyed after saying his thanks and getting dressed once again forgetting his modesty. Upon his return Elune took on a serious manner. "One does not simply gain my blessing. You will have to earn it, if you survive long enough I will call upon you once more to fulfill my will in Azeroth will you accept my terms?"

"Yes ma'am, I will accept."

"Then kneel before me and close your eyes."

James did as he was told, Elune place a slender finger on his forehead and murmured something so quietly James couldn't hear it. Then a force akin to a sledgehammer at full swing left Elune's finger and impacted against James entire body. Instead of pain though it felt like a rush of water flowing over his entire body. He still ended up sprawled out a few feet away though. Just got blessed by a goddess, no big deal. He thought as he coughed trying to catch his breath.

"Go now and sleep James Bowdrie. When you awaken again you will find yourself in Azeroth," Elune stated in a serene voice as she approached James while he stood up.

"Thank you may I have another?" He grunted while he cracked his neck, "But really Elune thanks for rescuing me and the cloths."

"Don't forget about your lock box too, I think once you get it opened you will be pleased. And thank you James, for company and conversation. It's not often a human talks to me as an equal and still shows respect. It was refreshing," She stated before kissing James on top of his head. And with that James collapsed on to the ground sound asleep and grinning.

I have chosen my champion well. Elune thought as she returned to her duties as Goddess of the Moon.

**:D This chapter has the official Shadowman 747 Seal of Approval****®.**

**Thought of the day: Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.**


	3. Gifts from a Troll

**A/N Alright so far I'm pretty happy where this is going. Though after much considering I have finally decided on what James's melee weapon(s).**

**Also would like to apologies for how long this chapter took! My dog had ten puppies so I've had my hands full.**

**Probably should have mentioned this earlier but the story starts just prior to the events of Cata. Like within days of it actually.**

**Now then onward with the adventure!**

Chapter 2: A Meeting in the Woods with Gifts from an Old Troll.

"A dog is man's best friend."

-Anonymous

It was a black emptiness completely devoid of anything resembling any sort of matter or energy. It was here a single train of thought had existed sense the dawn of creation and had never existed at all.

_I am incomplete._

_I am shattered._

_I am bitter and cold._

_I am lost._

_I lack purpose._

_I have always lacked purpose even long before I was shattered_.

_I was left behind when I was shattered._

_Shattered._

_Shattered._

_Shattered._

This endless mantra was interrupted by the sudden presence of something far more ancient and evil. The Blackness was shattered into a dark purple and blue shifting light.

_Little Shard I have heard you. You will make an excellent tool of destruction. I will give you a body to animate and a gift. Blood is the key to opening it, the purer the better and when you find those that are Forsaken deceive them, manipulate them and hunt a champion of the Moon. This is the purpose and gifts I offer you Little Shard._

There was a long pause that could have been seconds or years. Then a single thought reached for the light.

_I will kill for you._

_I will manipulate for you._

_And_

_I will hunt for you._

-oOo-

James awoke with a start, sitting up gasping. He hadn't expected to loose consciousness so suddenly. Taking a moment to steady himself, James took in his surroundings. It was the pre-dawn twigh light just before sun rise probably the darkest part of the day, though a majority of the sky was concealed through a thick canopy. He could barely make out his surroundings and realized he must have been in a forest much like the one in Elunes domain. The thick vegetation under him was soft and beckoned to him to lie back down and rest a little more. After a little internal debate James decided it would be best to get moving. Lest he fall victim to some night time predator looking for an easy kill after a night of hunting. His father's teachings still at the front of his mind, the animals are most active during the pre-dawn hours and in the evening just before and after sun down.

Standing up and dusting off James began to take a step as his vision adjusted to the dark. He took two steps before tripping over and falling face first in a puddle of mud. He rolled over and wiped the mud from his face with a snarl intent on unleashing a string verbal cursing that would make a sailor blush on the root or rock that had caused him to fall.

"You son of a bi-" he stopped before he could even get his first curse out. There staring back him almost mockingly was the lock box he had so casually put aside he had forgotten about. Standing up once again he stared down at it considering his options. On one hand it was a gift from a god, but on the other he didn't even have the key, it could have something really useful in it but it could also just be some stupid medallion. He decided to see how heavy it was; after all if it was light it wouldn't be too much trouble. Bending over he grabbed it on the edges and began to lift. He realized it was far heavier than he had expected. He put it down knowing that it would slow him down far too much. His mind made up James left it and picked a random direction to start walking in.

He travelled for some time in the dark but soon enough the sun began to rise and so did the temperature. It was stifling hot and on top of being humid. The leaves sometimes even dripped with the collected moisture. The sun shone brightly through the brakes in the canopy grilling James as he trekked on. Eventually he took off his shirt and soaked it in a stream he came across before wrapping it around his head. He drank constantly from the water skin Elune had given him, now that thing was a life saver. No matter how long he drank from it the amount of water that was in it never changed. Though that didn't stop it from heating up but compared to the muddy water he was use to he didn't mind at all. He also noticed that all the grime that had collected on his teeth had fallen off when the water contacted with it. He marveled at how smooth his teeth were when he ran his tong over them. It was the small things that kept morale up and feet moving. For another hour or so he walked not really sure where he was going he had tripped over everything on the ground it seemed like. Walking in a forest proved to be harder than he had thought and was quickly getting on his nerves, compared to the mountains he grew up in and the stony Black land he was use to the forest was a whole nother beast to tackle. Instead of being an open terrain where most things could more or less be seen from a ways away the dense forest obscured his line of sight, he had to constantly be on his toes with all his senses. He even smelled the air like a hound dog, though he was still overwhelmed by all the colors, noises and smells. He even had to watch where he walked lest he trip over a branch or root again, he had already done this a couple dozen times, but it was so easy to get distracted and trip again.

James let out a surprised yelp as he fell face first into a puddle mud again. He practically leapt up and turned to see what had caused his most recent decent barely containing his rage. When he saw the culprit his rage boiled over and he let out a yell of rage that travelled far and wide.

There sitting on the ground was the lock box, he had gone in a complete circle. After a long pause in which James got himself under control of himself, he set off at a slightly faster than normal pace in a completely new direction. For another couple of hours he treaded through the jungle as hunger slowly made its presents known James began to scan his surroundings for any fruit or animal he could eat. Failing to find anything he continued onward. It was probably a little after noon when James came to a spot that was fastly becoming too familiar for him. There on the ground still unmoved from where he left it was the lock box. James let out a frustrated grunt and began to pick a new direction to walk when a thought accurd to him. _What if I have to take the Damn box? _It made sense to him, if he were a god who had given a gift to a mortal who had cast it aside on the petty excuse of 'it's too heavy' he would make sure the mortal got nowhere till he took the gift. So James did the only thing he could do, picked up the box with a grunt of effort and began walking in a different direction for the third time. His progress was slow and he was constantly tripping over everything sense the lock box had put him off balance. Though shortly after departing with the lock box he ran into the first sign of inhabitants of this world or tripped over it would be more accurate. He quickly got back up and turned around to investigate.

Leering up at him was the skull and skeletal remains of some poor sod that had died out here alone. James began to look over the remains in detail noting a sword in a scabbard that was in its boney grip and several yards of rope that was remarkably untouched by the wilderness. How it had not degraded was beyond him but his gut told him that there was more to the rope than meets the eyes. He reached down and picked up the bundle of rope throwing it over his shoulder so it went across his bare torso. The sword however looked to not have the same luck as the rope. The leather on the scabbard had warn away to the metal shell and even that was rusted through in places. The wooden hilt looked to be rotten and would disintegrate at the slightest touch. In short it was useless to a man who had no idea how to wield a blade. He decided it would be best to leave it and continue traveling.

Again he set forth with a little less stumbling as he learned to traverse the forest. Hunger was making its presence known but this did little to slow James, he was far to use to it from the black land where he hadn't ever had a full meal. His mind began to drift to memories he hadn't reflected on in what felt like a lifetime and as he did this one question became omnipresent. What kind of person are you James Bowdrie? His life had been a simple one, he was there for family and friends but was quick to fight. Even at a young age he rarely shouted he just decided when he had enough and let the fists fly. Though he tried to help others he couldn't deny the fact hate flowed through his blood. James had always been very aware of himself and his place in the world so he had rarely pondered on something like this, instead focusing on things like his job and simply surviving. Here though in a new world where he had no history, no responsibility and his future was a wide open road for him to choose from. Which all led to the question: What kind of person was he? It slightly annoyed him how he could not make up his mind on this. He couldn't even decide if he was good or bad. Indecision was an alien feeling to him and he soon found his entire attention focused on this riddle. He hadn't even noticed the simple fact that his body had subconsciously adapted and was moving through the forest with little effort and almost zero stumbling. In his dazed state he travelled for hours only his senses were aware of his surroundings. Every now and then an animal would let out a call or a twig would snap nearby and James would quickly look up and find the source of the sound look for danger but his attention would quickly come back to that damn question! It was almost sun down before James came to a stop on the bank of a small river. He put the box and rope down and stood there stroking his beard deep in thought. Almost like a slap to the face he realized the answer to the question.

"I am neither good nor bad, I'm simply James Bowdrie and I will forge my own way in this world and to those who get in my way. Well I just pray that whatever god you believe in is a merciful one," James stated out loud for all the forest to hear. James smiled at his small revelation and laid the question to rest.

He decided to make camp on the river bank and set out looking for dry wood and kindling. He didn't travel far from his campsite, he didn't need to he found plenty of sticks and a few fallen limbs though a lot of it was moist. He found a handful of dried leaves and grass that would catch easy enough. Digging a shallow fire pit he got a fire going quickly enough by rubbing two sticks together for awhile. He then began undoing a small portion of rope with a little effort and some biting he had several long strands of string. He took these and after stalking up his small fire so it wouldn't go out, set about searching the ground away from his camp for vermin trails. He was only able to locate one which he promptly knelt down and tied a snare in using a stick and a few rocks so that anything caught would not get away. He could still hear his father's voice coaching him through the various naughts and steps to creating a successful trap. He messed up his first few tries but eventually got a satisfactory snare and he offered a silent thanks to his father. Standing up he quickly returned to camp while the sun set and lay down on the soft grass under a tree. The fire was close enough to keep away the slight night chill that would come. Using his shirt as a pillow he began to stare at the lock box that sat across the fire. As he drifted off to sleep tired and sore from travelling the new terrain and carrying the lock box, he dimly wondered what was in the box that was so important.

-oOo-

_It was all black. Everywhere and everything was a solid blackness that let nothing in and there before him were two lock boxes. One, on the right, radiated silver light with a crescent moon inlaid in a white metal. The other was black and seemed to absorb any light cast on it by the other lock box, on it resided a blood red jewel in the shape of a droplet._

_Numbly his hands reached out as though they were being controlled by something else. The gripped the lids of both boxes at once and with little effort lifted the lids. There in each box was a rattle snake coiled and hissing. Though both snakes rattle were made of ivory that's where the similarities ended. The snake that resided in the crescent moon box was silver with white marks down its back, its eyes were blue. The snake in the blood droplet box was black with red script that hurt the eyes to look at directly, its eyes were blood red as well._

_Both snakes lashed out biting his hands. Instead of reacting with pain and shock he watched with keen interest. From each snake …something spread up his arms. His right arm felt a cool sensation like water on a hot day and silver lines raced and dance upwards towards his shoulder, with it came a sense of contentment and calmness. On his left arm spread the script which was etched into his arm by what felt like a thousand dull blades. He watched as his own blood began to highlight it. Instead of pain he only felt excitement and rage._

_It was all so maddening as the emotions began to mix while the silver lines danced among the demonic script that spread across his chest. Finally it was all too much and James let out a terrible yell and grabbed the snakes with his opposite hands. With a roar he tore them away from himself and tossed them aside!_

"_This is my body! I will be the one to decide what I feel and when I feel it! None others may have it!" The shout echoed in the darkness. The demonic script and silver lines stopped spreading and the feelings faded into the background._

-oOo-

James awoke from the dream in the early hours of the day just before sun rise. He quickly looked over himself checking for demonic script or silver lines, finding none he let out a sigh of relief. The dream hadn't been a nightmare but it was damn close. He looked over the embers of his dying fire and eyed his lock box with new criticism. He put his shirt on and walked over to it. Lifting it up he put his ear to the key hole and listened for the slightest sound of hissing. After awhile with no sound coming from it he gave up and went back to his 'bed'. He stared into the dying embers of the fire as he decided what his plan of action was. Common sense said the rivers flow towards the sea; towns and cities were built along the banks of rivers and shores of the oceans. The river also could be a source of food if he found some sort of fishing rod or harpoon. His mind made up James rebuilt his smoldering fire so he could be ready to cook whatever he caught in the night with his snare. He started to head off shaking trying to shake his grogginess from his mind. He was so tired that he closed his eyes and trusted his feet to take him in the right direction, in this moment he was absolutely unaware of his surroundings. As he more or less drug his feet to where his snare was, as stiff sore and tired as he was he hadn't bothered to watch his step and fell when his booted foot collided with a large rock. Once again he found himself face down in a puddle of mud. It was an event that was becoming far too common place for his liking.

Rolling over he sat up and wiped the grime from his eyes. Examining what had tripped him he realized it was the remains of the snare he had created the night before. The string and vermin probably attached was gone and the rocks were rolled aside. The young man cocked his head to the side. Whatever had disposed of his trap had been clever; instead of using brute force it dismantled his trap. That's when he felt a cold wet nose push on the back of his neck. A shiver shot down his spine as he slowly turned around. There standing so close that its head filled his entire view was the largest wolf he had ever seen. It was easily looming over him. Slowly the young man turned around to get a better look at the beast. It took a few steps back and cocked its head to the side curious about the young man it had discovered. With great caution James stood up realizing the wolfs shoulders were level with his own. But more importantly he spotted the hind end of a large vermin hanging halfway out of its mouth with a bit of string tied to one of its back legs. He let out a growl of frustration and the wolf cocked its head the other way.

"Mutt you have my breakfast," he stated. The wolf let out a muffled bark and began to wag its tale. "Drop it."

The beast surprisingly complied by dropping the clearly dead and half chewed rodent and the arching its back and stretching its front legs forward. James had seen this body language to many times from the dogs on his father's ranch and knew exactly what would happen next unless he was fast… widening his stance he locked eyes with the k-9 (is k-9 even a word Shadowman 747?) He crouched down lower noticing the beasts' tail wagging faster. With every muscle in his body James leapt forward diving for the mangled rodent. The wolf however was far quicker; it snatched the rodent up and jumped away from James.

Rolling with his lunge the young man came up on his feet and charged after the beast that had taken his breakfast. In return it simply jumped and raced around James dodging his every attempt to take back the small meal. The game of keep away had begun and only a fool thought they could out match a clever wolf.

_Just my luck. Finally get some meat for once and some mangy mutt decides it would be fun to make it a chew toy. _He thought to himself as he failed to yet again snatch his breakfast from the wolf.

"Damn it mutt! Hand over the rat!"

In response to the command the wolf let out a bark and turned and dashed into the forest a little ways before turning around and barking again staring at James. Beast was not about to give him his breakfast without a fight. With a growl he charged after the wolf and plunged into the forest.

The chase was on. With the wolf plunging deeper into the forest and an angry James hot on its heels. After a few seconds of running James found himself parallel to the river he had camped next to with the wolf a good distance ahead of him. It wasn't about the food anymore; the damn beast was challenging him!

-oOo-

Rahs'vache was many things, troll, hunter, old, wise, patient, well cultured, bilingual and above all else he was a fisherman. He had traveled far and wide in order to catch the most exotic and tastiest fish in the world. In his younger days he had even been so bold as to sneak across a war zone in the night to fish by candle light. So it was no surprise to his friends when he had taken his raptor Sasha and his newly acquired Worg, which he had yet to name, out into an Alliance held territory to do something as simple as fish. He had been here for a few days and had only one encounter with a passing sentinel, fortunately he had escaped without even touching his tomahawk or spear. He had been fishing up this river with great success, he had set out his fishing poles and within minutes he was pulling in more large tasty fish than he knew what to do with. Quite simply he was having the time of his life. This particular morning his Worg was off fetching its own food while his raptor napped at his side while he sat by his fishing poles bating each hook, he was a master at bating hooks with the right lure. The sun had just crested and was quickly warming the forest with its heat. The day was full of promise for the relaxed and lazy, Rahs'vache was eager for such a thing. To not have a care for the Horde or Alliance, not be near the shifting ground of the barrens, avoiding the wars for depleting resources and just enjoy life for all its simple pleasures. He didn't know how he knew but his gut was telling him something was coming, something big and it would need every able body in Azeroth.

Shrugging such dark thoughts aside he was intent on enjoying the peace. He put his attention back to bating, distracting himself from the worries of the world. He was so focused on his bating that he barely registered the sound of the foliage behind him rustling. He turned around to see his Worg jumping out of the thick vegetation with something in its mouth. It turned around and stared into the forest and started sniffing the air. Soon its ears shot forward and its tail began to wag. Rahs'vache raised an eye brow in curiosity and got up and walked over to the massive beast to try and spot what his companion was searching for.

Much to his surprise a human came barreling out of the forest a few meters to his left. Rahs'vache hand dropped emidiently to the head of his tomahawk, though he wished greatly for his spear, he much preferred the spear over his hand axe. What really concerned him how ever was how that the human had literally ran into his camp and hadn't made a single noise till he was right on top of him. The human was glaring daggers at his Worg almost ignoring him completely to which only peaked his curiosity even further. Looking him over he wasn't sure what to think, the human was tall even by his standards. He also was devoid of anything that looked like a weapon but that could just mean he was a mage without a staff. Then again his cloths were so plain and dirty he looked like a human farmer or miner who had wondered away, but that didn't explain what he was doing here. Then there was his piercing green eyes, they spoke of an intense willpower. Like someone who had endeared and learned much in the way of survival they were a little too similar to his eyes for his comfort. To top it all off though was the fact he had a lot of… hair? Between the thick and ragged beard smeared with mud and the shoulder length hair tide back with a filthy strip of cloth the human looked like a wild man in peasants clothing!

"Your suppose to lead trouble away from me you blasted Worg! Not bring it angry to my camp," Rahs'vache admonished in the common tongue before turning to the human. "I'm not here to fight human nor do I wish to. I simply want to fish in piece."

The human blinked a few times as he seemed to notice the troll for the first time and then he started looking at the camp around him. His stance became less aggressive and he began to look thoughtful before he spoke. "I didn't intend to interrupt your morning. I apologies and I really wasn't looking for a fight either, but your wolf there made off with my breakfast, any chance I can get it back?"

To say Rahs'vache was shocked would be an understatement. Almost every human he had met in his life had stated some sort of knightly title before bellowing a ridiculous challenge and then tried to run him through with their blades. Sure he hadn't met a lot of humans and he had assumed there were a few out there who didn't want his head on a pike but he never thought he would run into one in the forest especially when said human looked like a wild man that belonged in the hills. Rahs'vache looked over at his Worg and saw the half chewed rodent still halfway hanging out of its mouth. He raised an eyebrow at that, _what adventurer would prefer rodent meat? Surely there are better foods to partake in? _He shook his head, it was not his place to criticize others taste.

"Spit it out girl, now," Rahs'vache commanded to his Worg. It looked at him and growled. "You blasted beast spit it out now!" He commanded yet again. This time the Worg just looked at him and then with a few powerful naps of its jaw it swallowed the rodent whole. He looked back at the human fearing confrontation.

At that moment he had never seen anyone more defeated and broken than that human. It was then that he noticed that even though he was muscular and pretty fit, he was skinny to the point even to an untrained eye such as himself he could tell the poor man hadn't eaten a full meal in a long time. Far too long to Rahs'vache liking. _That explains why he would chase down a Worg over a rodent. _He was about to apologize to the human when the human raised his hand to stop him.

"Its fine you do not need to apologize to me. The beast was just doing what it knows. I will leave you now," he said turning to leave. (just broke the 10,000 word barrier with that sentence, this marks the single longest story I've ever written!)

"Human would you care to join for breakfast I have caught plenty of fish for two in my short stay here?" Rahs'vache sympathetic nature won out against his caution. He watched as the young man seemed to hesitate for awhile before shaking his head. Before he could turn Rahs'vache down he continued. "Trust me I caught more than enough to share, I've had to cast the last couple of catches back out of fear of not being able to eat all the smoked fish before it goes bad. Anything you eat I'll get back by the end of the day you'll probably be doing me a favor."

Once again the young man hesitated but eventually nodded and agreed. They walked into the camp and sat around a small campfire Rahs'vache produced a sack from his nearby tent full of smoked fish wrapped up. He had never seen anything quite as intense as the bright green eyes of the human upon the bag of fish he was now carrying. For a second he was afraid the humans' glare would burn a hole right through the bag. He was also mildly surprised to see the human retain enough self discipline to remain seated and waited in till he was offered. Even then when Rahs'vache handed over a large chunk of meat the human had maintained his politeness and ate slowly.

"James Bowdrie," The human had said a little suddenly.

"Pardon me?" Rahs'vache inquired.

"My name is James Bowdrie, thanks for the food."

"I'm called Rahs'vache. I couldn't let my Worg eat another man's meal and then let him starve. Though I have not met a human who willingly trusted a troll enough to sit down and share a meal with him?"

"You ain't tried to kill me yet and you offered to share food, no reason to not trust you," James stated simply turning his intense gaze on the wizened old troll.

At first Rahs'vache thought that the human was attempting to intimidate him. Which would have been a foolish thing to do, he had seen far too much to let one wild man even come close to such a feat. Then he realized it was simply the intensity of the human before him, in the few words spoken between them Rahs'vache had come to the conclusion that this human weighed every option he had and every disicion that he made would be towards his own survival. To put it plainly his survival instincts were greatly refined.

-oOo-

James didn't know what to think of the blue skinned being in front of him. On one hand he had been kind and giving, but on the other hand he was watching and studying every move he made as if expecting him to attack. His curiosity was peeked however, this Rahs'vache was so alien to him it was almost unnerving.

After a long silence James spoke again. "Did something happen to make you think I was out for your blood?"

Rahs'vache was so taken aback by the question he simply looked dumbfounded at the human. How could a human not know of the wars between the Alliance and Horde? "Yes there have been several wars between our peoples, another one has recently escalated in fact," He finally stated.

"Hmm, I see," James stated plainly as he mulled over this new tidbit of information. The last thing he wanted was to be drafted into another man's war.

"I'm curious James, what kingdom do you hail from and how did you end up here?"

"Kingdom? Where I come from we done away with kings and queens, I guess you could say it's just far away," James explained before continuing "I was saved from death by divine intervention and then dumped out here on my ass by the same divine intervention."

Rahs'vache didn't press the issue; the human seemed to be honest about his origins so he assumed that he was from an independent town. As far as how he ended up out here it really wasn't his business so he let cryptic response go. He decided to ask a different question.

"Is your camp far from here? We could possibly trade if you're interested?"

"I don't have anything to trade I'm afraid just some rope and the clothes on my back," he left the lock box and water skin out not fully trusting the old troll.

"Really? Do you not have even a simple knife?" Rahs'vache asked surprised. Those intense green eyes instantly bore into him with distrust. _Ah how the tables have turned, _he mused as he realized how suspicious his simple question had been. "I have no intentions of attacking you, I'm surprised to see an individual that has travelled this land without a weapon, most of the creatures here are less than friendly to outsiders. You probably got some mighty mojo mon," He had slipped into his accent at the end of his statement.

James looked slightly amused for a second or two before he returned to eating. It was then that he was began to eye the tomahawk with envy. It was a simple tool but he knew it was supremely useful not only could he fight with it he could use it scavenge up supplies necessary in till he got to a town or village and got a sourse of income.

"Unfortunently that would be the honest truth of it, right now I'm up shit creek without a paddle. I honestly don't know anything about this land other than its name, which is Azeroth correct?" Rahs'vache gave a quick nod to confirm what the name was. "And I'm looking for a key with a crescent moon inlaid in a white metal. But to top it all off I have almost nothing."

The wizened old troll looked thoughtful for a little while he mulled over James's predicament. He knew the land was full of opportunity if one knew where to look and he was more than capable to at least put James on the right path. He knew that many members of the Horde would spit on him and curse him for helping a human but it was not in his nature to turn his back on a half starved and lost individual despite where he came from.

"I'm sorry but I have not seen a key like that. Tell me how opposed to being in harm's way for a reward are you?" Rahs'vache asked after awhile.

"Depends on the reward and if I have a choice on the matter. I don't think I'll make a good soldier, if that's what you mean? I'm a little to independent. If it's at all possible I would like to avoid being tied down," James answered.

"Hmm… you may wish to choose the path of an adventurer. As far as avoiding being tied down just don't commit to any young maidens," It was a simple joke but it earned a chuckle and a grin from James.

"Those would be words to live by, but down to business. What exactly is an adventurer?"

"Well it's someone who travels the land for various reasons; they go about and do odd jobs for whomever or sell wears they acquire. Realistically it's a rather general term for anyone who doesn't settle down in a village or city permanently, there are many who choose this path mages and warriors alike walk the road. Many parish along their journey and few die peacefully of old age, but for those who endure the treasures and freedom are out there for the taking!" Rahs'vache's passionate speech came to an end.

"That sounded… prescripted?" James raised an eyebrow at Rahs'vache speech.

"You'll have to forgive me; I have trained many young hunters in my day. I use that speech to motivate them sometimes."

"Well I do like the idea of being my own man, and not being stuck in one spot. Plus if I can stay on the move I probably have a better shot at finding that key," James reasoned more to himself than the troll.

"Then it looks like the choice is clear, but you won't get far with just some length of rope," Rahs'vache informed as he handed another chunk of meat to the young man before continuing. "I'll make you a deal go collect me enough fire wood for a few days and I'll give one of my old fishing rods, what do you say?"

"Throw in an extra hook and bate and I'll take care of i-" he was interrupted when a large wet tong licked the back of his neck leaving a slober trail. James turned around and glared at the Worg.

"That's odd," Rahs'vache commented.

"You're telling me, I aint ever had a giant wolf harass me so much in one morning."

"Don't insult her, she's a Worg. Nowhere near as unpredictable as a simple wolf and much cleverer. I've seen her disarm some of my smaller traps just to figure out how they work!" The troll was just a little to defensive over the subject and realized it. "I apologise I'm a little sensitive over the blasted mutt. She won't mind me at all, won't even let me close enough to try and satle her, I'm having trouble breaking her in I'm afraid and it's taking a toll on my pride as a hunter."

"I see, and what was odd exactly… wait did you say 'satle'? Like a horse? As in your suppose to ride that?" James asked pointing a thumb over his shoulder towards the Worg.

"Well most orcs choose to ride them into battle as they can be fiercely loyal and equally savage. I had hoped she would have made a good mount but she refuses to even let me get too close, she only fallows me sense I feed her every now and then," Rahs'vache punctuated his remark by glaring at the large Worg, "And what I meant by odd is how much she seems to like you."

"Well I've always been a dog person and this 'Worg' acts like a giant puppy," James said.

They remained seated passing food and a canteen between each other and made idle chatter about the weather like a couple of old men for awhile. Though James wouldn't admit it the fish although slightly burnt tasting and dry was some of the most amazing thing he had tasted in years. He ate slow and only a little at a time fearing that his body wouldn't be prepared for the sudden intake of rich food would cause him to get the runs. That was the last thing he needed. After he had enough fish to chase away the hunger pains he decided to take Rahs'vache up on his offer and began collecting wood around the camp. The troll had loaned the tomahawk to him so he could chop some of the smaller branches down to a manageable size. The work felt good and he was enjoying the work out it was giving him. He was also amused to see the 'Worg' which he still thought of as a giant wolf, was fallowing him around and would occasionally bring him a large stick to add to the bundle. He had finally stacked a wall several yards long and waist high of fire wood when the sun reached its highest point in the day so he went to look for Rahs'vache. Finding him sitting on the bank a little ways up stream watching a dozen fishing rods intently with a couple of fishing rods at his side with a small pack.

"Got done gathering up fire wood you should have at least enough for a week if you don't get to carried away with it," James informed. Without saying a word or turning to look at him Rahs'vache held up a fishing rod and the pack. "Don't suppose you could point me to the nearest town? It's about time I got a move on."

Rahs'vache motioned downstream. "Fallow the river for a little ways if you keep going south you shoud come across a trail. Fallow it west and you should come to the town of Astranaar. Be careful orc scouts are pushing in from the east rumor has it that there is gonna be a massive offensive. If you do come across one just run, trust me you don't have a fools hope against them as you are right now." James listened intently as he accepted the pole and pack. He was about to hand back the tomahawk when Rahs'vache held up a hand. "Keep it, my gift to you, you'll need it a lot more than I will. Just promise next time you get the drop on a member of the Horde you let them go." James nodded and said a simple thanks and goodbye before plunging back into the forest fallowing the trail he and the Worg had made earlier that morning.

It was several moments later that Rahs'vache fishing was interrupted again by the whimpering of his Worg. Turning to look he saw that she was sitting still staring at where James had walked into the forest intently.

"You're a useless mutt you know that? You probably wanna go fallow that human around don't you?" he was answered by a bark. "Ugh I can't have you disturbing my fishing for the rest of this trip, go on get!" The Worg needed no second command this time and plunged into forest after his new owner.

"Well at least my Raptor is still here, but what a strange human."

-oOo-

**Okay a few of you may be asking "Now Cigarchomper what was the purpose of these past couple of chapters?" Well I'll tell ya! I couldn't just dump James in Azeroth directly he would have been torn apart in moments so instead I dumped in a harsh environment against enemies that were deadly but could be dispatched easily. It was like when my father threw me into the pool when I was about six or seven and shouted "Sink or swim." So in essence the shadow people were like harsh training dummies, not very clever but learned as they fought you and made you get stronger, faster and cleverer. And then Elune sort of helped him by teaching him how to track animals mix that with what little hunting and trapping knowledge he had before hand it gives him a fighting chance and that covers Chapter One.**

**In this chapter I wanted to break him into the forest plus give him the tools to survive (i.e. fishing rod, rope, canteen and tomahawk). I really want to avoid giving him any real solid weapons in till the next chapter.**

**On another side note my Beta is currently unavailable so this chapter is a little unedited.**

**Thought of the Day: Opportunities are everywhere you just have to know where to look.**


	4. Demon

**A/N: ok I had to post this separate from the main story thread on account of how disturbed (and proud) I was with this. Forgive the short entry, I full well expect at least half my readers will ignore this story after this. Probably call me lame and stupid too. But please review and be honest! I must have deleted and retyped this four times I think trying to get it right so I'll take all the advise you guys and gals can give.**

**Also if you are not a fan of gore skip to the bottom I'll have a short summary there.**

**Also the first bit of this chapter is 'M' rated I think.**

Chapter 3 Part 1: Demon

"Blood for the Blood God!"

-Common chant used by the cult of Khorn

In a flash of dark purple light the shard was born into a body. He had no name but a goal, a very important goal. Quickly he took in the surroundings there in front of him was the lock box, the gift promised to him in the dark. It was night and he found himself in a dead forest. All the trees around him looked dead as though a plague had claimed them, the little vegetation around also bared the same unhealthy looks. In the distance he saw a rundown farm with lights on in the distance. A smile crept across his face as he picked up the box and ran as fast as he could towards it. His body, much to his delight, was that of a corpse and required no rest or need to breath. It was almost untouched by the decay, only the pale and cold skin could really give him away for what he was. Fortunately anyone who could get close enough to tell would be dead, or close to it.

As he closed in on the house by the field he began to feel excitement run through his cold dead body. He was so close he could taste the flesh inside. When he had closed into only a few dozen yards two men, one armed with a shovel and another with a pitch fork, barged out of the door and eyed him with fear and unease.

"Hey you there! Stop!" One of them shouted.

He obeyed their command and stopped. "Howdy boys," He decided to test out his new voice, it was deep and foreign. He dropped his lock box and continued to smile maddeningly.

Though he had proven he was not another mindless undead corpse seeking its next victim they were still weary and couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling of wrongness that emanated off of this stranger approaching in the dark. It only grew when they realized he was naked and face split in a hideous toothy smile. They raised their weapons in preparation for whatever came next.

He was so happy! Death was so incredibly close! Some would have turned their noses up at the farmers saying they were unworthy. To him though, the only thing more worthy would have been a priest or a priestess. _So pure and harmless! _Charging forward he tackled the farmer with the pitch fork hands gripping either side of his face and pressing His thumbs into the farmers eyes eliciting a scream of agony that caused goose bumps to rise on his cold dead flesh. So wrapped up in his torture he had momentarily forgotten about the other farmer and was rewarded with a blow to his back that would have broken any normal mans bones.

Springing up He ripped the shovel from the young man's grasp with unnatural strength and open hand slapped him so hard the farmer saw stars. Stumbling back he came to his senses and vaguely acknowledge his brothers screaming. Turning to run for it spirit broken and fear overcoming him he felt a bone crushing grip on his shoulder stop him from taking a single step. Before he could so much as scream in agony he felt his flesh tear in his back and his innards destroyed. The pain had been intense but brief, now only coldness and fear remained. Sinking to his knees he looked down to see the head of his own shovel slick with his life blood sticking out of his chest. When it was ripped back through his chest he fell on to his back and stared upon the face of his killer. _Not a single hair on his head. Odd how it's the little things you notice. _He was the first victim.

Turning back to the still screaming man on the ground He smiled even harder. The sound was so lovely he wanted more of it, so he set a slow pace towards the blinded and floundering man. He knelt down next to the stricken man placed his fingers on the man's stomach. Screaming turned to whimpering at feeling of his hands.

"Brother i-is that you? I-I can't see, help me please," A long pause fallowed only broken by the constant whimpering. "Brother?"

He forced his fingers down slowly applying more pressure.

"Brother please stop you're hurting me!" The young man yelped.

Still He pressed further and further down. The young farmer start to scream again and He pressed further down. His nails ripped into flesh and then he decided to pull apart. Clothes and skin slowly ripped open in till organs were visible. The screaming was so maddening delightful He couldn't contain himself anymore. Cackling hands sifted through organs and ignored the pathetic attempts the young farmer tried to stop him. Finding handfuls or gore He began to rip them out careful to avoid anything too important.

The screams finally stopped much to his disappointment. He frowned slightly till he looked upon the house only a few steps away. Smiling his steps took him up to the heavy wooden door that was the last obstacle to the tender flesh that hid in. He could smell the fear seeping through from the other side. He politely knocked on the door.

"Please open the door. I just want to sample your hospitality," The cackle that fallowed told the residents that he wanted something else entirely. "Fine I'll just let myself in!" With one mighty pull whatever locks they had were ripped through the door frame. He spotted a women holding a knife with a little girl behind her.

The women charged with a blood curdling scream and rammed the knife blade up to the hilt in the monster that had destroyed her front door. To her horror she saw no sign of pain on its face. Instead it wore a smile mocking her.

"Lizy run!" the women screamed before the He grabbed her throat and slammed her into a wall. The little girl did just that. She ran right past the monster that seemed completely focused on her mother. She had only gotten a few yards before she heard her mother's cries.

But still she ran on fear and survival instincts driving her on. It wasn't in till she could no longer hear her mother's pleas for help and mercy that the tears began to fall.

-oOo-

The girl had gotten away but He had more than enough blood here to open the lock, she would have just been the cherry on top. Speaking of the lock box, with one last cup full of the red liquid he bathed the lock. A metallic click broke the silence of the now destroyed house and the lid swung open. The first thing He spotted was a note, which he promptly read.

_Little Shard you have made me proud! I give you the name Kharn, wear it with pride as you slaughter those in your path. _He decided it was as good a name as any and took it. Kharn's eyes came to rest on what lay underneath the note and the madman smile returned.

It was then he heard a commotion outside. Hoping it was more farmers or the daughter Kharn rushed outside. Once there he spotted three walking corpses looking at the mutilated bodies and making a strange gurgling noise. One looked at him and made the same noise and waited as if he would reply.

After a long pause the one that had gurgled at him tried to communicate again only this time in Common. "Tell us have you been Forsaken too?"

Kharn's face split into a horrendous smile.

-oOo-

**A/N Okay so our villain is 'born' outside a small farm in a dead forest with a lock box oh so similar to James's. He then proceeds to butcher the farms residents accept for a young girl who gets away while her mother distracts our villain. Also after harvesting the blood needed he opens up the lock box to find a mystery object and a note. After reading it he is given the name Kharn (fun fact in Arabic that word means Betrayer) also as part 1 comes to an end Kharn comes across a band of Forsaken.**

**So did I do the horror aspect right? How many of you plan to keep reading after this? Also what do you think of this chapter? Review please!**


	5. Stolen Goods, Loot and Companions

**A/N I'm back bitches! Okay so we're gonna start this off with me begging for your forgiveness. I'm so sorry I was gone for so long please accept this humble chapter as a peace offering! **

**Now that we got that out of the way I'm hoping you guys can tell me what you think of the fight scene and how I can make it better. As always all critics are welcome and I'm willing to listen to any ideas or compliments you might have. Don't be afraid to be harsh either if 'I done goofed' I need to know.**

Chapter 3 part 2: Stolen Goods, Loot and Companions

"If you even dream of beating me you better wake up and apologies."

-Muhammad Ali

_I watched as the worg tackled you from behind in the forest and licked the back of your head. I laughed when I saw the death glare you sent its way, not because of the situation but because I saw the cracks in your emotional armor that the oversized pup had caused. I laughed as you gave up on trying to get it to return to the Rahs'vache, for I saw how relieved you were to have a companion. I know you will be strong one day._

_But… _

_As I turned my eyes west I saw the Shard and now the dreadful feeling of doubt fills me. I wonder though; will you be strong enough to survive? For that is all you can do against this new enemy I'm afraid James. Victory is just too distant. _

_But… _

_If you find something that can do more than cause cracks in you emotional armor, something you can embrace with all your heart, something truly worth not only dying for but also living for._

…_or maybe someone._

-o O o-

James was beyond mad, he was border line pissed. Upon his return to his camp he found it missing the only two things of any value; his water skin and the small chest. He wasn't so mad about the chest but the water skin was damn near priceless, as it was the only thing keeping him from dehydrating out in this wilderness or getting sick from the river water. Looking over the camp he quickly found a trail into and out of it not belonging to him. Whoever had raided his camp had no business in the forest; the trail was painfully obviously with low hanging branches being hacked apart and the underbrush trampled. The trail came from the west and led south parallel to the river; no doubt the thief was hoping to find the same road Rahs'vache had told him about. James considered his options and the safe thing to do would be to cut his losses and head for the village trade some fish or his tomahawk and… well he didn't really have a plan farther than that.

On the other hand though he had no idea how far the village was and there was no telling if he would need water between here and there. Sure he could come up with a mouth full of clean water here and there but he doubted he could keep himself going in this heat like that for long. There was the fact he knew little about the thief to be considered. It could be one of those orc scouts Rahs'vache had warned him about or it could have been a simple traveler who had stumbled upon his campsite and decided to make off with the only things of value. James considered this for a short while and as his temper cooled he realized he probably would have done the same thing their positions were swapped.

James made up his mind to follow the trail leading out. Considering how clumsy the trail was he could easily catch up with the thief and scout him or her out without them knowing as long as he was careful. From there he could either cut his losses and run or get the drop on the thief and get his things back. He would give 'em a good beating to teach him a lesson but there was no need to take it further than that. Dropping his newly acquired fishing rod and sack he set off at a quick pace with the worg just behind him.

-oOo-

Sebastian Starlight for the hundredth time cursed himself for going on this stupid adventure. He, a sin'dorei royal, was traipsing about in the wilderness of their rivals' lands looking for treasure. A childish attempt to get his father's attention and one that ended up with his capture and rescue by his bastard half-sister. The kaldorei savages that refused to leave their hunter gatherer roots had easily caught him unaware and beat him within an inch of his life, before dragging him back to their primitive excuse of town where they shattered his arrogance with insults and laughter at his expense. Luckily his rogue half-sister Seara had been tailing him, no doubt under orders by his father, in case he needed saving. She was the daughter of a whore his father had kept around. Throughout the years she had been taught as a rogue and used for everything from a playmate to an assassin. Though Sebastian's favorite use for her was a punching bag. In recent years she had taken up engineering as an escape from the abuse of her family.

After two days of being trapped in a cage outside the barracks, which Seara had a good long laugh at; she came in the night with his bags, armor and the family saber. Once he had gotten all his gear back on and Seara picked the lock they had made their way through the town stealthily. It had gone well till they came to one of the two bridges that led out of the town. There was only one sentinel but all she had to do was start yelling and the whole town would come rushing out weapons at the ready. Seara devised a simple plan; she would engage the sentinel and he would run across the bridge. Once he got to the other side she would break away and join him. They both knew there was no hope of out running the sentinels so he would set fire to the bridge using a small tankard of Goblin rocket fuel and a lighter Seara had brought along. That was of course after she joined him on the other side.

Taking the tankard and lighter he got ready to make a run for the bridge, with a simple wave of Seara's hand he bolted not even risking a glance at his savior or the sentinel. The fact he made it to the bridge and the surprised yell he heard from the sentinel confirmed that the plan was working. Then Sebastian made his own slight change to it.

Half way over the bridge he ripped open the tankard and poured its contents out on to the dry old wood. Just as he pulled out the lighter, flicked on the flame and made ready to toss it into the pool of fuel he looked up at his half-sister who had just managed to break away from the sentinel by delivering a devastating punch to her exposed stomach. Seara was beginning to run towards the bridge waving at him and shouting at him to wait. He simple smiled and tossed the lighter into the fuel. Almost instantly a wall of hellishly hot fire shot over his head. Sebastian ran off into the night and into the forest.

That had all been three days ago, now he was hoping to make it the orc lines and after dropping his father's name to the commander, get a free ride back home. The only good thing that had come out of all this was the fact that Seara would undoubtedly finally die in the same cage he was held in… That and the water skin and chest some idiot had left lying around.

-oOo-

James had easily caught up to the thief who was walking in the shallow edge of the river. He observed him from the edge of the dense forest with the worg crouching just behind him with the fur on its back standing on end. The thief wore a deep royal red dusted and a wide brim hat with a ridiculously large feather stuck in the cap. Just under the cap large pointed ears and long blond hair stuck out. There was also a saber strapped to his side in a scabbard along with a large pack strapped to his back. James could make out the outline of is lock box which had been half hazard crammed in it. The water skin was tied to the thief's belt. James sized him up; he was only a few inches taller than James but a good deal broader in the shoulders. The thief also seemed to be in a hurry, and judging by the harsh words coming from him every time he slipped he was also in a foul mood. It was obvious he was on the run. James decided to confront him, he knew that the fact they were both armed would most probably lead too bloodshed. He took a few minutes to mentally prepare himself to not hesitate when moment came.

With a deep breath James stealthily slid from the foliage a few meters behind the thief and began to close the gap, while the worg crept forward in the dense jungle. James paid it no mind as long as the mutt stayed out of the way. As he got closer he took his tomahawk from his belt with his left hand and with his other he reached down and grabbed a hand full of dry sand. He began to focus on the thief so much that he didn't notice a small dry twig in front of him till he stepped on it and broke it. The large pointed ears of the thief twitched and he spun around and drew the saber in one smooth motion. It was the first time James got a good look at the thief's front, revealing thick plate armor under the duster, unnaturally green glowing eyes and perfect features. As the two of them eyed each other with weapons drawn James felt disgust and hate creep into his gut. The face of the thief almost oozed arrogance and weakness, not a single scar or sign of battle could be seen, and not even the smooth chest plate had signs of being worn down. James made a quick and accurate assessment of his adversary, full of fake pride and cared more for appearances than practicality.

On the other hand Sebastian Starlight found himself almost laughing in relief. When he had heard the twig snap he feared the sentinels had found him and he was mere seconds from getting turned into a pincushion full of arrows. Instead he found a bare chested hairy wild man with its shirt wrapped around its head. If it wasn't for the hate filled glare and by the way it was clutching a small hand axe he would be rolling around in the sand laughing at the sheer randomness of this encounter and how pathetic the _human_ was. Sebastian decided to simply kill this human and be gone before he wasted anymore time here.

James watched the long haired pretty boy drop his pack and get into a fighting stance.

"Pretty sure you have my water skin and lock box. Hand it over. Now," James commanded as he pointed at the bag. The thief looked back at his backpack looking confused but after a few seconds he seemed to understand what James wanted. He looked back at James with a smirk displaying even more arrogance. Then nearly shouting in some other language what could only be a challenge judging by the way he raised his saber in a two handed grip and squared his shoulders with James.

"Your funeral," James stated

He sprinted forward bringing his hatchet down in a vertical swing which the thief easily deflected to the left with the saber but it created the opening James was hoping for. He lashed out with his right hand clenched in a fist striking the thief in the face causing him to recoil. The thief managed a halfhearted swing driving James back a little, but James pressed the attack coming in low feinting another swing with the hatchet but the thief rolled away and slashed out with the saber opening a shallow gash in James's forearm. James dive rolled to the side with a curse. Now the Thief pressed in swinging with wild abandon hoping to physically overwhelm his smaller opponent. James back pedaled batting aside the saber with his tomahawk. The thief suddenly round house kicked James catching him in the chin. Losing his balance James cursed himself for getting caught off guard by such a simple attack. He fell on to his back while the elf made to stab him though the gut.

It would have been all over for him if an unexpected ally hadn't launched from its hiding spot. The worg cleared the distance between it and the thief in a single bound and clamped its powerful jaws on his forearm. With a powerful jerk of its neck the worg turned the thief to face him and tackled him to the ground with its massive paws. Before the beast could rip out the long haired elves neck, he drove the saber into its side almost up to the hilt.

The cry the Worg let out struck James deeper than anything he could remember. Watching how the beast fell on its side and tried to crawl away from the being that wondered it drove James to his feet and into a rage. He charged the Thief who had just barely gotten to his feet and launched a storm of attacks. Each time the thief deflected the tomahawk he was hammered by a fist or a knee to his armor which served only to knock him further and further off guard. The blood elf made one last bid to regain the upper hand with a powerful slash. He didn't expect James to drop his weapon and grapple his sword arm with a two handed grip and use the strikes momentum to flip the thief over James's back.

The thief landed hard and felt the air be driven from his lungs. James stood back and watched with hate filled eyes as the elf got on to his hands and knees gasping for breath. When he finally got to his feet unsteadily, James strode towards him still unarmed. The thief felt a glimmer of hope rise in him again as he made skewer James with the point of his blade. James easily side stepped the attack and flung out the hand that had held the sand throwing the grains forward. They hit their mark landing in the elf's eyes and painfully blinding him. As the thief tried to back away James grabbed his chest plate by the neck opening and yanked forward while delivering a brutal head butt. He smiled a little as he felt cartilage crack and break. The thief fell back landing on his backside and dropping the saber letting out a cry of pain. He tried desperately to get back on his feet but as soon as he opened his eyes James kicked him in the face knocking out several teeth.

James picked up the saber and grabbed a fist full of his enemies blond hair. Dragging him to his knees James rammed the blade point first through the elf's neck and kept going till the hilt stopped him and dripped with crimson blood. The thief let out a horrible gurgling noise as blood began to flow freely. James watched as the life faded from the thief's eyes.

"Good luck in the afterlife," James spat as he pulled the blade from the dead man's neck with a sickening sound. For a second James stared at the body but when the feeling of guilt began to creep into his gut he turned his attention to the worg and stomped the feeling out.

The beast was laying on its side inhaling deeply and each time it exhaled it let out a slight whimper. As James approached its head shot up and it let out a small growl.

"Shut it mutt, it's me. Now lay back and let me have a look at that wound," James commanded. When he saw the worg's tail wag once James let out a slight sigh of relief. It meant that its spine hadn't been broken and there was a small chance the worg could recover on its own. As he approached it he began to pet the beast's massive head and whisper in a calming tone. The wound was deep and just behind its front legs but it looked like the blade might have been deflected from the heart and lungs by the rib cage. His hopes were crushed as the beast let out a horrible hack and blood splattered on the sand in front of its muzzle. It was a giveaway that a lung was pierced and filling up with blood slowly. James didn't have the skill or the know how to fix such a wound but he knew it was fatal. His heart sank a bit deeper as the worg let out an even louder hack spitting up blood.

"Stay here mutt I'm gonna get you some water," James commanded as he got up and moved back to the corpse in order to remove a shoulder plate with the saber for a make shift dog bowl and the water skin. After he got what he wanted from the corpse he stared at it and wished he could shift the blame to it. But he knew there was no one to blame but himself. If he had been faster he could have ended the fight before the worg came to his aid.

"No time to mope," He chastised himself. He marched back to the worg and began to give it water. It struck him as odd how attached he had become to the beast in such a short time, but then it had been the only truly friendly contact he had in over two years. He scowled in frustration and cursed his luck as he tried to comfort the beast in what was most likely its last hour or so of life.

Unbeknown to him his fight had been seen by another being hunting the sin'dorei royal.

-oOo-

Cellinel Nightingale was considered young by her people's standards but she had lived life to the fullest. She had always been considered beautiful and had travelled the world in the Darkmoon Faire dancing and performing. She had many suitors who had been enchanted by her and in truth she could have picked almost any man she desired, but she had grown bored of each one and moved on with the festival.

When High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind had sent out the call to arms to bring down the Lich King, Cellinel had patriotically answered by joining the Sentinels. After a few month of training she was shipped out to the frozen north for the war. There she followed orders like any good soldier and survived though she had been fortunate enough to avoid the major battles. She had fought as an archer, striking from afar and retreating before the enemy could mount a counter attack. Then just one year ago the united Horde and Alliance stormed the Lich's Citadel and an army of adventurers and soldiers slew the great Lich King. She had taken part in the early assault but the task force she was part of had to guard the entrance so the army could fall back if need be. After the battle her task force had been stationed in Astranaar, her commanders knew the unsteady alliance between the Horde and Alliance wouldn't last and the town would be hit hard.

She had been happy at first to be stationed in her home land but Cellinel had quickly grown bored. The endless patrols had been doll and even dancing hadn't been as fulfilling as it used to be; none of the locals truly appreciated it and all the men saw was a potential bride. She missed the excitement of being in combat. Of course the capture of the blood elf male had been a nice break from patrolling and dodging suitors. The whole escape fiasco had also been pleasant change and no one had to spill blood that night so it was even better. Then much to her excitement the commander had given her and a number of others orders to track down the sin'dorei.

The hunt for the blood elf had been going well for her; she had been the first to find his obvious trail and had followed it as swiftly and silently as she could. For two days she followed with very little rest but she had become a predator, stalking through the forest only focused on her objective. When she had come upon a small camp she made a quick inspection and barely noticed a second set of tracks following the blood elf's path. She would have missed them completely if they weren't so fresh. She feared that her objective had linked up with a more experienced veteran which would make capturing it a whole lot harder. _Worst case scenario I put an arrow in the blood elf's back and run for it. _She thought to herself, she knew that the blood elf had seen too much of the inside of Astranaar and would have valuable information on troop numbers they couldn't let the enemy have.

She had come to the edge of the river when the sounds of battle greeted ears. Cellinel kept to the forest and moved to view the ongoing battle. She was mildly surprised to see a human battling the blood elf she was hunting and a wounded Worg lying on the ground nearby. The human was attacking with a ferocity she hadn't seen sense the war with the Lich King. She became entranced by the battle, the human lacked any real technique other than brawling but he struck hard and incredibly quick. Then the blood elf drew back his sword and slashed out. When the human managed to grapple the blood elf to the ground using the slash's momentum; part of her let out a little cheer. She knew the battle was over at this point but she watched on in enjoying the fact her races rival, the sin'dorei, was getting beaten by a bare chested human. Her excitement grew as she watched the human brutally kick his opponent in the face. When the human picked up the fallen saber and grab a fist full of the elf's hair she averted her eyes knowing what would happen next. She truly loved to admire and participate in combat but killing was where she drew the line. In truth she had no qualms with a warrior killing another but she feared that the second she began to become excited by it she would fall from grace and become a mindless berserker.

When the sound of metal stabbing through meat and then a terrible gurgling greeted her ears she knew what had happened. When the gurgling finally stopped she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding and turned her attention back to the human. He was kneeling down by the wounded beast and looked to be comforting it. After a minute of this he retrieved the shoulder plate and water skin from the corpse and began to give the worg water. Her night elf nature called out to her after seeing the wounded animal. She, like most of her kind, had an affinity for nature and its creations. She sighed and looked through her small satchel and pulled out a small glass vial filled with red liquid. _We do have an alliance with the humans and this one did do a service to Astranaar killing the blood elf. _

She stood up straight and marched out from her hiding spot. The human shot up and spun around saber still in hand and pointed the blade at her. For the briefest of moments a look of familiarity passed over his fierce features and showed a deep sadness but as fast as it came it passed. His face hardened into a mask of fierce survival instinct and lacking all emotion. For a moment Cellinel's heart was moved but the feeling passed so quick she wasn't sure she felt anything at all.

"Greetings," she called out in common.

-oOo-

James was caught off guard by the third person he had met in two years. When she had come from the forest she approached confidently not trying to hide her presence. When he had turned to face her fearing another attack he was surprised. At first he thought it was Elune and dropped his guard but after looking for a second longer he realized it was not her. While Elune had been alien in appearance she had given off such a motherly and awing feeling James had not questioned it and was quite subdued but the women in front of him lacked both those features. James eyed her with suspicion and said nothing.

"Greetings," she called out to him. Her voice was soothingly calm and to him it was extremely pleasant to hear a female voice that did not belong to a god. He waited a couple more seconds before replying.

"Howdy," he more or less stated still holding the saber. There was an awkward silence that hung in the air till the worg let out another horrid hack that broke James's focus as he glanced back at the fallen beast.

"I can give you something to heal her if you would permit it?" Cellinel called out anxious to break the stalemate between them. James looked back at her suspicion clear on his face. _Why is this human acting so guarded? _She thought to herself growing irritated with the human. _Is he some sort of xenophobe? _She began to grow suspicious. While it was odd to have a human in the Veil it wasn't that uncommon but humans weren't united. There was no guarantee that this human was part of the Alliance but his lack of any real equipment seemed to show he wasn't here to fight a battle or do much of anything.

"How?" he asked.

"I have a healing potion I'm willing to give it," she explained holding up the vial. A confused expression replaced the suspicion.

"I guess you can't really do much more harm anyway," He said bringing the saber down. Cellinel stepped forward and held the healing potion out for James. He grabbed it before looking back at the night elf one eyebrow arched in confusion.

"Have you ever used one of these?" he shook his head. "Just get the beast to drink it and it should at least heal that wound," she explained, her irritation was slowly turning to curiosity._ Every adventurer knows of healing potions? How could he not know what one even looks like?_

He moved quickly kneeling down next to the worg and lifting its large head. He emptied the vial down its throat and then stepped back. At first nothing happened but then a very slight red glow came from the beasts wound and right before his eyes it sealed up.

"That's amazing!" James blurted before he could stop himself.

"You truly have never seen a healing potion before in your life?" Cellinel asked thinking the human must have been playing dumb.

"Nope." was all he managed to say in reply. It's seemed honest enough in its simplicity so she let it go for now.

"Thank you ma'am, that mutt means something to me. Would have been a shame for it to die so soon, my names James Bowdrie," James stated looking Cellinel dead in the eye and reaching his hand out towards her. She had seen humans offer each other the simple sign of respect by shaking hands so without missing a beat she reached out and returned his vice like grip with one of her own.

"I'm Cellinel Nightingale, sentinel archer stationed at Astranaar," she replied smiling. For some reason she liked his name.

For the first time he really looked the night elf over. She had an hourglass figure which oddly enough her armor complimented and stood at the same height as him. Odd thick tribal tattoos stretched up her face covering both her eyes, which glowed like Elune's. Her face had a simple beauty to it and it was framed perfectly by her waist long hair but with the confidence she held herself it was breath taking. But the light purple skin tone and the long ears that stuck out from her hair through James off a bit.

"James you're still holding my hand and is it not rude to stare in your lands as well as mine?" She asked politely. James's looked down and quickly let go but before he could truly form a response an aspect of his personality decided to make its survival known

"Sorry miss," he apologized but before he could stop himself he continued. "But for someone so weird lookin, you're kinda cute." It was then that he remembered he was a natural flirt.

To a woman who had spent most of her adult life with men throwing themselves at her just to get her attention the back handed compliment struck her pride like a war hammer. She did what any respectable warrior would do when their pride was wounded and struck out. Her fist came up and before James could even see it the blow landed squarely in his temple. As James tumbled to the ground with unconsciousness claiming him Cellinel found her cheeks beginning to get a little warmer.

-oOo-

Years from that moment if you were to ask James when he realized Cellinel would become a loyal friend he would laugh and say it was the time he used a badly thought up compliment and she set him straight with a blow to the head.

**Thought of the day: The average persons morals are a reflection of the culture and parents that raised them. **


	6. A Long Road and Camaraderie

Chapter Four: A Long Road, and Camaraderie.

"The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails." -William Arthur Ward

**Darnasses, Temple of Elune: Just before James's arrival in Azeroth.**

Tyrande Whisperwind lay down in her large bed and drowsed for the first time in what felt like years her mind abuzz with all the problems her people faced. The orcs were beginning to push north into the Veil harvesting the forest as they go despite the supposed truce between the Horde and Alliance. While it hadn't escalated to open warfare it was only a matter of time before she would ride into battle yet again. However the Hordes aggression seemed to be trivial compared to the real issues.

It seemed nature its self was turning its back on the night elves. Each day more animals fled the forests in fear and almost none of its mightiest creatures came to the aid of her people. Even the Owlkin were becoming more aggressive, sometimes attacking without being provoked. Though what was even more distressing was the fact that a deep sickness had set into forest. It wasn't outwardly visible yet but she could feel it under her feet when she walked the lands. Life was slowly leaving the forest and it had taken her far too long to discern the reason for this.

The Seed of the Forest was poisoned. It was the ancient gift given to their care by the Titans all those millennia ago. As long as it was buried deep within the earth and untouched by corrupt hands it would always feed life into the forest and always sustained it through the hardest of times. But with the lands shifting and refusing to settle as they have been in the past months the seed must have been exposed to something. She had no idea what might have led to such corruption but it must have been truly evil too force her people to watch as their beloved forest withered and died before their very eyes. She had consulted as many druids as possible on how to cure the affliction on the Seed and they all said the same thing. They would have to see the Seed its self before they could even identify what had poisoned it, then healing it would be a massive endeavor in and of its self. Even her beloved Malfurion Stormrage was left with only desperate measures that had little to no chance of healing it.

With all these thoughts drifting around in her head she fell asleep.

-oOo-

Tyrande found herself in a familiar clearing with a crystal clear pond at the foot of a mountain

off to the side. She realized this was more than a dream at once turning she saw a relatively tall human being held by her patron god. Elune kissed the human on top of his head and smiled warmly as the man fell on to the soft ground sound asleep; in a flash of blue light he was gone.

Elune turned her warm motherly gaze to one of her favored children and approached. She laid a hand on Tyrande's shoulder and offered a comforting squeeze. Instantly all the pent up frustration left her and she began to relax.

"Your prayers have not fallen on deaf ears my child. I will not abandon you to the plans and schemes of a dragon so full of hate and rage. Tough times are ahead but know that if you can hold your lands long enough you will be victorious. Know that there is a cure to the Seed of the Forest's illness and the very being responsible for poisoning it will reveal the cures location. In the following weeks you must steel yourself for another sundering," Elune began to explain knowing time was short. She gripped Tyrande's hand and gently pulled her to the pond and gestured towards the water.

Before her very eyes the water began to show images of lands breaking apart and burning. An impossibly large dragon burst forth raining fire and death upon all kingdoms. She watched as the forests she long protected burned away, fear and despair began to grip her heart. When the image shifted to the shores of the Veil she saw horde ships landing and disembarking troops, but the cliff faces behind the land fell away causing massive boulders to crush the ships.

However what snared her attention was the gargantuan marble structure the falling boulders had exposed. It swarmed with Naga that butchered the Hordes scattered troops. Then the visions faded.

"The events I show you have been granted to me by the Bronze Dragons that lord over time. They will come to pass have no doubt about that, but the damage caused can be repaired and lives will move on in time," Elune explained.

"Goddess I… I don't understand any of this..."

"In the catacombs underneath the naga's marble fortress lays a potion created by Queen Azshara in the years before her fall. Its original purpose was to purge all taint from the Well of Eternity. Unfortunately while it was extremely potent it lacked the purity needed for its original purpose. When the Queen fell her followers sealed it away knowing it was still far more powerful than any other potion of healing ever made. It is the only thing that can save the Seed of the Forest. If every single drop of it is spilled deep in the jungle the seed will draw it towards its self and be healed.

"But you must realize that this is one of the Naga's most prized possessions and have acquired the guardians and placed challenges that will thwart all but those with the sense of self and strength to match armies," Elune elaborated. "But over all you must have a champion capable of wielding holy weapons with no devotion and use demon weapons mercifully. Quite simply you must find a godless warrior."

"I shall assemble the best of my people and use all of my influence and gold to assemble the best in the land. I will find someone to wield a holy weapon but surely we mustn't use demon weapons! Warlocks are terrible enough as is but to use a weapon as tainted as those created and inhabited by demons… It's no better than the unholy transformation Illidan went through!" Tyrande exclaimed desperate to avoid the weapons of the enemy.

"You are right but both weapons will be needed and none among your people can overcome the greatest of challenges that wait. I have provided a champion that will do just that, you must assemble a force of no more than 400 soldiers and make this human man join the assault. He will not go of his own free will but you must try to convince him that he must. He will resist all attempts out of the need to be free from any authority but his own. If you can't convince any other way tell him that it will clear the debt he owes me for blessing and saving him. But I urge you to use that only as a last resort," Elune further elaborated. In truth her heart ached for her favored child and the burdens she would have to carry in the future.

"I will do as you ask, you have never led me astray before and I will not doubt you. He must truly be one of the mightiest and noblest of humans to gain your intervention. Even if he owes loyalty to no one I'm sure he will understand my peoples plight and agree to aid us…" Tyrande began but was interrupted when she noticed the sad smile on her goddess's face.

"In truth as honest as he is he is far from noble, he is far more likely to shoot his enemy in the back than fight him in any fair battle. And the might he possesses is not one you will instantly recognize, he will not let anything control or break him but to you he will only appear as a selfish coward. In time you see that I'm right. While those things make him ugly by your standards they are what will see him through."

"But if he will repay his debts then why not use that right away instead of trying to convince him?" Tyrande questioned more confused than when the whole conversation started.

"A man who willing fights for a cause is worth a hundred men forced to fight for something they don't believe in," Elune stated which was true enough. She also feared James realizing she was using him as a pawn in a much larger game.

While she felt the maternal need to protect all life she wasn't about to let that blind or weaken her. She had known of James's existence in the black shadow land from the moment he had arrived, His soul was like a bright blazing torch in that soulless realm. She also could have saved him at any time, but she saw a valuable opportunity. By leaving him there he was forced to endure and learn to rely on only himself. It pained her to force the change that turned him into not only a fighter but a survivor that couldn't be controlled. At times she had actively got involved and herded the Shadows towards James testing him. All the time she wept as she soiled her hands with his soul's loneliness and pain.

But each test he survived and each time his confidence in his abilities became stronger she felt pride flow through her. It was like watching as your child took his first steps or speak his first words. That was why she feared calling on the debt. He would be suspicious already but as he pushed through the tests of the naga fortress he would see how close they were to the trials of the Black Land. He would find out and hate her for the misery she placed upon his shoulders. For a being who considered herself the mother of life earning her children's hate cut deeper than any blade.

All this she hid deep down. She was a Goddess, she was beyond doubt.

"You are right; I will do what is necessary. I will see to it that the weapons needed are obtained."

"There is no need, I have provided a holy weapon for him and he will be confronted by a deadly assassin who wields a demon weapon. If he survives he will take possession of it and use it accordingly," Elune said.

"I mean not to question you but what is to be done with this man after he completes his mission?" Tyrande asked but her intentions were betrayed by the contempt in her voice.

Elune's eyes narrowed as she answered the question. "I know how you feel but you must leave him be. His soul and body will not be corrupted. If you set out to dispose of him, he'll go to ground and spend the rest of his days holding a grudge against you and will hunt any and all you hold close. He is not an enemy you wish to have." She knew he would kill innocents and soldiers just to hurt Tyrande no matter the cost to his morality and the guilt. Insuring a debt was paid was something he would not let go, even if it was a blood debt.

Tyrande averted her eyes in embarrassment. Elune had seen right through her question and had issued a stern warning. She knew however that there were bigger problems that needed to be solved before she dealt with the man.

"How will I find this warrior of yours?" Tyrande asked trying to redirect the conversation.

"You will hear of a human scout fighting for your forces in Ashenvale he will be described many ways but one term will be repeated; Gunslinger." Before the high priestess could reply the forest clearing faded away.

-oOo-

She awoke in her bed chambers with a mixture of relief and dread. One of the worst problems had been answered but she now had some fore knowledge of a great cataclysm coming to Azeroth. She left her bed and threw on a simple robe. She could not stop it but she could prepare

the best she could.

-oOo-

**Ashenvale, Present. **

Cellinel dropped a few more sticks into the fire as she fumed in frustration. Night had fallen sense her encounter with James and he still hadn't woken from when she had knocked him out cold. After that exchange she had severed the blood elf's disfigured head and had made to leave but her curiosity got the best of her. Instead she stripped the blood elf of its belongings and dragged them and James into the forest a little ways before making a small camp.

_How could he insult my beauty of all things? Especially when he looks like he spends more time in the wild than most. _She inwardly wondered. He was a strange being that much was certain. She looked over to where he still lay with his worg faithfully sitting next to him. His bare chest showed his multitude of scars but also showed how under nourished is skinny frame was. Then the paleness of his skin appeared almost unhealthy. Like he hadn't been exposed to the sun in a long time, she wasn't sure what to make of him. He looked like an escaped slave but moved like a warrior, _Perhaps he was captured in a skirmish with orc slavers to the south? _She tried to imagine this human covered in plate armor riding a noble steed into battle but failed. His whole demeanor was far from the chivalrous knights and soldiers of the Alliance.

_But he certainly had the confidence knight… Enough this sitting around and waiting. The human has slept too long and there are too many unanswered questions for my liking._ She thought as she made up her mind.

Getting up she crossed over to where James lay and kneeled next to him. After looking at his sleeping face for a few seconds trying to make out his facial features through his thick beard she reached out and made to grab his shoulder to shake him awake.

But before she even realized it he sprung like a snake striking. His hand wrapped around her wrist and then using his whole body he pulled her forward and off balance. They tumbled over each other before coming to a stop with James on top of Cellinel with her arms pinned by his knees. During the tumble James had managed to draw her hunting knife and now had the blade pressed tight to her throat.

"I ought to slit your neck right now for striking me for no reason," James began but withdrew the blade and tossed it aside. "But I owe you for saving the worg's life."

He got up and let Cellinel stand while they stared each other down. They stood there for a while with an awkward silence hanging in the air. Once James was convinced she wouldn't retaliate he looked around the camp and spotted a pile of clothes and armor belonging to the thief and began to rummage through it.

"I'll overlook the fact you threatened my life this once but don't think I'll allow you to do it again," Cellinel stated. To most it would have sounded like she was making a hallow threat trying to save face, but an unspoken promise to not fuck with each other had just passed between them. Though Cellinel knew she was most likely in the wrong here she wouldn't give any ground to the human stranger. It was something he admired deep down.

Though all he did was grunt in reply.

As he rifled through the thief's belongings he noticed that Cellinel was staring at him intently with an observant expression on her face. Under her scrutiny he began to feel self-conscious about his pale skin and the scars that covered his body. The feeling nagged away at him till he finally had had enough and unwrapped his shirt from his head and put it on. It helped him refocus on the task at hand which was to get any useful loot. He found his water skin and the chest first followed by the saber and tomahawk and piled it all to the side. Next he took the deep royal red duster and separated the chest plate from the rest of the plate armor and chain mail and tossed them into the new pile he was making. A small half grin graced his face when he found the wide brimmed hat with the large feather in it, he ripped the feather out and placed it on his head and was surprised to find it fit rather well.

_It ain't my cowboy hat but its close enough and keeps the sun out of my eyes._ He thought as he started to go through the large backpack. He found a few random trinkets and bits of cloth and a small feast worth of salted pork and a loaf of half eaten stale bread. He snatched up the bread and began to devour it chasing away the hunger pains. Once he was done he put the pack to one side and started put on the blood elf's belt, chest plate and the duster.

Cellinel watched as the human began to dress himself in the blood elf's attire. She was mildly amused at how drastically different the outfit looked on the human. The blood elf had just looked ignorant wearing heavy armor and thick clothes in the forest but the clothes seemed to fit James and even complimented his somewhat broad shoulders…

She shook her head clear of that train of thought and continued to examine him trying to learn as much as possible. He was done putting on the coat and tying the saber, safely placed inside the scabbard, to his belt which had the tomahawk stuffed into it when he turned to face Cellinel.

"Surprised you didn't say anything when I started to go through the loot. Seems likes everybody feels entitled to what another man earned," James stated eying her trying to get a real feel for the person in front of him.

"I don't really care for using a dead man's gear but you did earn it fair and square," she responded with a raised eyebrow. The statement was a little odd to her.

"Where do we go from here then?" James gruffly asked, his thin patience for people already wearing down.

_Well he doesn't waste any time now does he?_ Cellinel thought. It struck her how every second sense he had woken up had been devoted to his own progress. No couple of second the clear his mind or check on the worg or nothing, he was just on the go.

"Well first I think we need to reintroduce ourselves and get on a better footing, then you can tell me what a human is doing in the wilds of the night elf's lands and finally I would strongly encourage you to accompany me to Astranaar. The blood elf you killed was being hunted by my commanders and the more evidence I can bring them the better. If it helps I'm sure they will have a small reward for you."

James nodded and agreed to the plan. It made sense to him and finally getting to a town would be pleasant for him. He could possibly get a drink of something a little stronger than water, or better yet a bit of tobacco. "Can't even remember how long it's been sense I've had a warm bed and a bit to smoke," he mumbled to himself lost in thought for a moment.

"Alright let's try this again, I'm James Bowdrie," he felt a little awkward sticking his hand out for her to shake. When she walked closer and shook it reintroducing herself the friendly smile they had the first time was long gone. Soon as that was done James began loading the blood elf's things back into the backpack.

"So what exactly are you doing out here with no equipment besides a hatchet James?" Cellinel asked standing over him and watching.

"Oh you know I'm a rich business man who gets his kicks by going to the most foreign place I can think of and killing the first pour sap to steal from me." When he saw the expression on her face showed she wasn't amused by his sarcasm he continued. "What do you know about Elune?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just humor me."

After a pause Cellinel responded. "She's the patron goddess of my people and a few others. Some say she is older even then the titans but there no way to really be sure. She is considered the mother of all life here on Azeroth and the patron goddess of peace. Her priests claim if she were to ever physically manifest we would have a thousand years of peace but then the priests claim a lot of things. Oh and she is the only being truly capable of bringing someone back from the grave though it takes a tremendous amount of power. To be complete honest though faith in the gods is somewhat lacking these days. War has ravaged much of the land."

"What do you personally believe?" James asked.

"I've seen too many battles to believe in an all-powerful goddess who hates all violence," Cellinel stated with a hint of shame. "Now it's your turn to explain what that has to do with you."

James sat and thought for a while, he doubted she would believe the truth and she could be quite useful if she put in a good word for him at her peoples town. So he would construct a lie that would be mirror his actual situation as close as possible. _After all if I just come up saying 'I died a couple of times and had a lovely chat with a goddess you're not even sure really exists, then she revived me here in the middle of the forest' there wouldn't be much else I could do to convince her I was bat shit insane._

"I grew up on a tiny island off the coast a long ways. It's far too small to even be noticed on the maps and we were a small group of people. Well a group of pirates found our island and attacked it and took it over. A few villagers and I fought them as long as possible but after a long time of little to no food and clean water they cornered us on the coast and we made our last stand but from nowhere a new group of people showed up and broke through the pirates lines briefly and linked up with us. They looked like your kind and had banners with a silver moon on them. Only one of them spoke and said they could only save one of us. I got lucky and was chosen to be the one saved. The last thing I remembered was them handing me a chest and then waking up in this forest," even as James finished the story with a halfhearted shrug he cringed inwardly. The whole 'I don't remember' routine was older than sliced bread and the story sounded so unconvincing to him that he was sure she would see through it. But then he had no idea of mages being able to teleport people across the world and that night elves were excellent at anti-piracy due to their lightning fast ships. So once more his luck held out just a bit longer.

"Well you have my sympathy and once we get to Astranaar I'm sure from there you can find a group of merchants or someone who can get you across the sea to the other continent and the human capital, Stormwind. I'm sure someone there can help you get your life back on track," The story had made sense to her sense she knew next to nothing of the sea and its many islands so she assumed a mage had attempted a teleport to Astranaar and was off by a little. Those damn mages were always unpredictable. Then again the story was extremely suspicious with all recent aggression from the Horde. Humans weren't very unified so it was very possible this one was a spy. In the end she decided to take his word for it though she was still very suspicious of this man.

James sighed in relief and moved on the next thing he needed to know. "Sense I'm a stranger to these lands I need the basics of what I need to know so I don't end up with my head on a spike?"

Cellinel sighed a bit in annoyance but decided to help the human out. She walked over to the fallen log she had been sitting on and unfurled a map from her backpack. Setting it up on the log so that the fire illuminated it she motioned for James to kneel beside her.

"You see Azeroth is divided into three main continents, Kalimdor, Eastern Kingdoms and Northrend," She pointed out each in the same order. "Right now there are two main factions vying for control but there are dozens of smaller factions that control small regions of land but they are usually too small to pose any real control. Anyways the two main factions are the Alliance and the Horde…

-oOo-

They had spent several minutes with Cellinel explaining who's who and who owns what. Her initial annoyance soon turned to a somewhat pleasant exchange with James; she rarely had to repeat herself and he soaked in the information very well for an isolated islander. He asked a few questions here and there about the humans and dwarves but her exchange with them had been limited and she wasn't a historian. He had been particularly interested in the dwarven firearms but again she knew little about them.

"…So that covers the basics. Hopefully now you have a better understanding of things around here. You'll need it to keep from wondering into a band of horde skirmishers at the very least."

"Thanks," James nodded. He stood up and finished packing all of his newly acquired possessions into the back pack besides the large lock box Elune had given him. He was still getting use to actually wearing clothes again and when he put the chest plate and back pack on he felt the straps bite into the skin of his shoulders. The extra weight was a welcome feeling though and James knew it would help him gain some muscle.

"We should get a move on," James stated as he bent down to retrieve the lock box. When his hands made contact with the box the image of the battered blood elf with blood flowing from its mouth and the wound in its neck flashed through his mind. A pit began to form in his stomach, he had hunted and killed the shadow people who were undoubtedly alive but that had been different. This time the being he killed had eyes which pleaded for mercy and the blood had been… messy. James shook his head and stomped the emotion out of his gut. He had not survived as long as he had by letting emotions affect his performance.

Cellinel nodded and gathered her bow and arrows along with her hunting knife and spear glaive. As she was ready to leave; James walked towards the river which was only a few dozen meters away.

"James Astranaar is in the other direction?"

"I know, I got to pick up my fishing rod I left at my old camp," James stated as he tore off into the forest with the worg in tow.

Cellinel sighed. In truth she enjoyed travelling through the forest at night like most of her kind and she was in no rush to return to her commanders but the longer she was out this far into the wild the more of a chance she would run into trouble. _Having this human along will only increase the chance of something going awry, though he did seem rather confident in finding his old camp site in the dark._

-oOo-

In the end t had taken about an hour but James had returned still carrying the lock box but also had the fishing rod strapped to the side of the pack. With a muffled complaint about the worg snatching up a sack and eating its contents he set off with Cellinel guiding.

They had been travelling in the silence of the night for a while before Cellinel noticed a sound or more correctly, the lack of one. She could hear James's quiet breath and the occasional grunt as he stepped over an obstacle but she could hardly make out the sound of his steps even with her peoples enhanced hearing. What was more curious was the fact that he seemed to notice the obstacles even in the darkness under the thicker parts of the forest canopy above them. She knew that the average human had trouble seeing in the dark but then maybe his island was covered in a forest much like this one. Finally she decided to ask.

"James did you grow up among forests such as these?" Her question broke the silence and brought James from his inner thoughts.

"Hmm? No I grew up on the mountain steps of the Rockies…" He cut his statement off remembering he was supposed to be an islander.

"The island must have been a little large to have a mountain range?" Cellinel questioned. She now grew a little more suspicious.

"Sure," was all James grunted trying to stop the conversation dead in its track's. Cellinel's inquisitive nature persisted though.

"Well I find it odd it hasn't been added to the maps yet then."

All James did was grunt continuing to try and stonewall the conversation. However the grunt was enough to encourage her.

"Well was it often dark there? You seem to be quite skilled at travelling by night through rough terrain?"

James couldn't help but remember how the sun had never graced the Black lands and how it had never gotten brighter than dusk through the ever present fog. He shivered slightly at the memory that Elune had tried to ease out of his mind. Though it had only been days since his escape it felt like it had been years.

"You could say we often had really thick fog. Those without sharp eyes were usually the first to die." Cellinel frowned that seemed like a probable and heartfelt statement. Maybe her doubt was wrong?

"Seems like a rough place."

James just grunted buried the memories through sheer force of will alone. They continued in silence for a while longer again but this time James found his eyes drifting to Cellinel. He started to admire her well-built form and curves. And while the skin tone and ears were a little weird she was the first female he had seen that wasn't an overly motherly Omni-potent god in a long while. After a few seconds of admiring her form he began to grow curious about the girl in front of him. Up in till now he had seen her as nothing more than a useful tool at best and at worst as a potential threat. For once he indulged his curiosity and formed a few questions.

"So is this Astranaar your home?" He asked.

"No it's simply where I've been stationed in truth the Sentinels have been my home for many years," Cellinel responded slightly surprised he was beginning the conversation.

"Hmm must be nice to have a place to belong," James said.

"The camaraderie is nice to be sure and I'm a skilled soldier so the life style suits me fine," Cellinel responded as she stooped under a low branch. She glanced back at James wondering where the sudden interest in had come from.

"How long have you been serving in your people's army?"

"Only five years or so if I remember correctly." Cellinel responded.

The conversation once again died out for a while as they travelled quietly. James mostly thought over what he had learned about this new world and Cellinel focused on the land around them alert for danger. Though they were only two days from Astranaar there had been encounters with orc scouts this close to the town and while she knew she could handle herself she doubted James's brawling would last long against the far larger orcs. For now though they she would focus on being alert, orcs weren't very graceful in the forest and even their scouts could be spotted if you were alert enough.

"So that blood elf I killed was undoubtedly a member of the Horde?" James suddenly asked.

"Of course? Why does it matter?"

"It doesn't," James stated but inside he cursed. He still owed Rahs'vache for the tomahawk and he hated being in debt more than anything.

"If you say so," Cellinel stated.

-oOo-

They had travelled throughout the night and most of the morning before they had come to a small pond and decided to set up camp. Few words had been spoken between them and they set about separate tasks to make the small camp a little more hospitable. Now they sat over a small fire being used to warm up their small rations of meats.

James began to strip off the duster and the chest plate as he grunted a little in annoyance. The straps of the back pack and armor had begun to wear at the skin on his shoulders even through his shirt and duster. As he set it aside he sat down and sighed feeling the soreness in his muscles. _Been too damn long sense I've had to carry any real weight._

He looked across the camp to Cellinel who was quietly eating what appeared to be an apple across the camp.

"Where'd you get that?" He asked as he felt his mouth watered a little. Elune didn't even have apples and he had always been fond of them.

She looked over to James with an amused grin. "Found an apple tree on our trek here and snatched up a few, I don't suppose you'd like one? The way you're staring at it so hard is kind of a giveaway," she stated before taking another bite.

James hesitated. _The hell is she playing at? _

"Sure," he said while eying her.

"Alright well first you have to say please, then you have to admit I'm not 'Weird lookin'" she said with mischievous smile while she did her best to imitate his western drawl.

"I'll pass but thanks," James scoffed as he turned back to his meat which was stuck on a splint over the fire.

"Quit being merdys," Cellinel said as she tossed an apple to James who ungracefully caught it.

"The hell does merdys mean?" James asked glaring at her.

"Oh lighten up a bit James. We're going to be stuck together for at least another day," Cellinel chastised lightheartedly.

He truly couldn't get a feel for Cellinel and it was driving him crazy. She seemed to be annoyed with him then curious and finally friendly. _Of course with my luck she's gonna turn out to be crazy and try to slice my neck in my sleep._

"Elune, you need to stop brooding so much. I'm just exhausted and would rather be able to sleep knowing we're on friendly terms," Cellinel tried justifying her attempt at being friendly. She had read his face like a book.

"You try too hard," James shook his head and began to eat the apple. He savored the crisp and sweet fruit enjoying every bite like he would never see another one again. As he ate it his mind slipped into memories of his father's land and the trees that grew thick in places and the old apple tree that was just behind the barn. He began to think about all the times in the summer when he would return from mending fences and pluck an apple for a small snack. The memories turned to the rolling hills and pastures he lived in and the mountains that were always in sight. As his thoughts drifted and he ate a few chunks of the meat he had looted and lost all track of time.

"Well you can take first watch. Wake me when the sun sets below the tree tops," Cellinel all but commanded.

"Fair enough," James grunted, he really wasn't too tired. Cellinel laid down on the edge of the campsite still wearing her slim armor. James still couldn't figure out if he wanted to deck the commander who issued her armor that left so much exposed or thank him.

A few hours drifted by with James sharpening his tomahawk and saber with a wet stone he found in the pack. His shoulders were beginning to sting more as air reached the skin which had been rubbed raw. Simply burying the pain under his concentration on the task at hand and listening to the forest around him he had begun to relax his guard a little. This land was strangely welcoming to him and in way it comforted him. He could almost feel the forest direct his steps so that he moved even more stealthily through the brush. He felt oddly welcomed in the wild; it was as though a place had been made just for him. Though it wasn't all peaceful, he could feel deep under the surface a sickness lurked, one that was so similar to the one that claimed his life it put a knot in his stomach.

_Nothing I can do 'bout it._ He thought to himself.

It was then that he heard a quiet growl from the worg who had been lying behind him. Turning sharply and clutching his two weapons he looked to see that the worg was standing with the hair on its back rising and pointing its nose into the forest. It was that James heard what had gotten his companions attention. Heavy foot falls and the crushing of sticks and vegetation followed by the faint sounds of yelling told him that whatever was coming was big, there was more than one and they would be upon them in seconds. He leaped into action sliding his saber into its scabbard and his tomahawk into his belt he sprinted towards Cellinel who was farthest away from the direction of the intruders. Without breaking pace he reached down and grabbed the collar of her armor and half drug half tossed her into a particularly thick green and purple bush. She awoke almost at once and began to struggle out of the bush but when James slid into the bush next to her and clamped a hand over her mouth she stopped.

"Shhh, we've got company," James whispered before he removed his hand. They both laid low in the bush for a few seconds watching the campsite. The worg had followed their lead and hid in the surrounding brush. In just a few seconds after they had hid three of the biggest beings James had laid eyes on burst from the foliage. All three were around eight feet tall, green skinned and rippling with so much muscle it looked as though the skin would rip if they flexed. Large tusks jutted out of their jaws and beady red eyes glared out from a thick brow. They immediately began speaking in a harsh guttural language and the largest one, who wore a thick iron helm and chest plate and wielded a large axe, gestured around the camp. The other two began to spread out and pick through the camp, one even snatched up the chunk of pork James had been saving and almost swallowed it in one gulp hardly chewing. _That one dies first._ The pork thief was only slightly smaller than the apparent boss but wore only a simple fur loin cloth and was armed with an iron maul. The last of the intruders moved into a rearguard position with his back to the rest of them, he was wearing thick leather and had a large sword. _He dies last. All that leaves is big hoss over there. _Just as he made ready to whisper a plan to Cellinel he remembered his promise to Rahs'vache to let a member of the Horde go if he got the drop on him. As much as he hated the idea of leaving all his gear behind his promise to Rahs'vache was more important.

"I think we should just get the hell out of here while we can," He hardly whispered to Cellinel.

The disgusted look she gave him almost instantly quelled the idea of running.

"Cowered!" she hissed with border line hatred. "This is my home land. These destructive orcs must be repelled. If I simply had my bow I could kill one, maybe two of them."

James didn't want to admit it but being called a cowered stung deep down and angered him. He considered himself a lot of negative things but never a cowered and took particular pride in his ability to overcome his fears and challenges. The feeling to prove himself to her began to creep into his gut. He wanted to show her how wrong she was. Besides she knew the way to the town and was his ticket to getting some help from her commander, _If I can't convince her to run then we're gonna have to fight. Besides if she died it would be a pain in my ass._

He looked out over the camp and spotted the bow and quiver just a few paces in front of them. He formed a quick plan to charge in and catch them off guard. If they were quick they could force them to fight both of them one at a time. He turned to Cellinel who was still glaring at him.

"You'd sell your life to fuckin' cheap. Fine, just cover me when you get that bow of yours."

The comment had taken Cellinel by surprise. She had expected him to run from the fight and leave her to her fate and after snapping and insulting him for a sound tactical desertion she half expected him to reach out and slap her. Instead he called her out for being overzealous and then not only agreed to help but also take point. It was then that warmth began to flood from her stomach and through her body and then a tingling sensation of adrenaline pumping through her veins. They were in for a fight and it thrilled her. It would be a hard one and both of them would die if something went wrong but it only increased her excitement. She was confident that they would come out the winner now that James had agreed to fight.

"Go," was all James whispered before he sprinted into the clearing drawing his weapons.

Cellinel darted for her bow a moment later. As James closed in on the first orc the worg sprung from her hiding spot. The orc however heard their approach and charged James with the maul held high ready to deal death. Unfortunately for the orc he had failed to notice the worg coming in from the side. The large beast dived forward and locked its jaw around the orc's knee causing its massive green frame to stumble and grunt in annoyance. Though the stumble only brought its head down a few inches it was all the opening James needed. He rushed forward dodging a savage blow from the maul and struck out with the tomahawk burying the blade deep into its neck till it bit deep into a vertebra pinning it there. The orc fell back with the tomahawk being yanked from James's grip. Though the creature wasn't dead it soon would be and was near useless with the blade in its spine. James however wasted no time and spun to engage the orc leader only to find it upon him with its axe held above its head snarling. It would have been all over for James but an arrow saved his life by striking the monsters eye. It recoiled back yelling in pain. James dived forward slicing at its thigh while the worg sunk its fangs in the opposite thigh. The worg managed to jump away but James wasn't as fast and was struck by the orc's massive fist to the chest staggering him for a moment. However Cellinel moved forward and shot another arrow into the eye socket she had hit before. This time the arrow managed to pierce the orc's skull. It was dead before the body crashed to the ground. James recovered from the blow by the first orc they had killed and spotted the last orc barreling down on Cellinel who had no time to reload. Within a second he yanked his tomahawk free and through it for all his worth. The weapon flew true striking the orc in its uncovered head and killed it. The large body hit the ground and slid to a stop at Cellinel's feet. And just as quickly as it had started the battle had ended.

Cellinel turned to James who was breathing a little hard but was otherwise untouched, she had a crazed look in her eye and smiled like a kid in a candy shop. At that moment he wasn't quite sure who was scarier; the orcs or Cellinel. "Tis a shame there were not more to fight. The more we kill now the less they will have for the coming war."

"Anymore and we'd be dead," James stated as he pulled his tomahawk from the skull of the final orc. He had to admit the fight had been fluid and he and Cellinel had worked well together. So far sticking with her seemed to be working out even if she was a bit overzealous.

"Perhaps you are right James… And I must apologies. You are no coward."

"Damn straight I'm not," James said as he stared down at the dead beings. Soon Cellinel stepped beside him and joined him in the observation. They were the strangest things he had seen in his time here and the sinking feeling in his gut that he had gotten when he killed the blood elf was not present. He figured because they looked like monsters his old morals would not catch up to him with their death.

"Remember when I called you strange lookin'?" James asked.

"Yep."

"I take it back. These guys are strange lookin'. You look downright normal by comparison."

"I know what you mean. They look almost as strange as you don't they?" Cellinel quipped still smiling.

James couldn't help but chuckle at the witty remark despite the grim circumstance surroundings.

"Let's break camp and move on. Bodies will start to stink soon," James advised.

"You sure you don't need any rest? You've been up awhile," though James couldn't be sure the concern for his well-being seemed genuine enough.

"I can rest later."

Cellinel shrugged and picked up her few meager possessions and drank a few mouthfuls of water from her canteen. As she reflected on the battle she couldn't help but notice how well the battle had gone. It had been odd for her to dive in with no plan at all and just wing it but with James it had just felt natural. She could almost see his moves before he made them and cover him. She had fought with other Sentinels many times before and had only achieved this kind cohesion after many battles with them. Perhaps it was due to James's brawler type of fighting, or perhaps it was just a fluke, a onetime wonder. Either way Cellinel simply dropped the subject, this would probably the one time they fought side by side any way.

"Are you ready to head out Cellinel?" James called out with a crooked grin barely noticeable through his beard. He was wearing his duster and armor with his back pack slung across his back. He still held his odd lock box in his hands.

Cellinel smiled and nodded. It seemed after fighting together James was more comfortable with her presence and hopefully would make pleasant company before their trip was over.

"We'll travel for a couple of hours and then set up camp. We can rest till morning; it'll be safer to move by day to avoid anymore orc patrols. Your kind are more use to moving about during the day anyways," Cellinel commented as they walked on.

James grunted his consent. After all she knew the land and the enemy better than he did so it would be foolish to ignore her advice.


End file.
